NARAYANAPURAM LAKE

PALLIKARANAI
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
BY
HARIPRIYA.N JANANI.M KISHOR KUMAR.V
LOCATION DETAILS:

COUNTRY : INDIA
STATE : TAMILNADU
DISTRICT : CHENNAI
METRO : CHENNAI
ZONE : PALLIKARANAI

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TOTAL AREA : 258999 SQ .M OUT OF
WHICH 161874 SQ .M IS REMAINING

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 NARAYANAPURAM LAKE ,
PALLIKARANAI

• NARAYANAPURAM LAKE IS ONE OF THE 16

INTERCONNECTED WETLANDS, WHICH ARE ALL
PARTS OF THE LARGER PALLIKKARANAI
MARSHLAND.
• ORIGINALLY SPREAD OVER 64 ACRES, THE LAKE
HAS JUST 40 ACRES REMAINING. THE REST ARE
GROWN INTO MULTI STOREY STRUCTURES AND
200 FEET RADIAL ROAD.

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HISTORY AND ORIGIN:
• THE LAKE IS PART OF A CASCADE OF
WETLANDS WHICH WERE FORMED BY A
STREAM.
• THIS STREAM, WHICH DRAINED FROM WEST
TO EAST, JOINED A LARGER STREAM THAT
DRAINED FROM OTTIYAMBAKKAM INTO THE
PALLIKARANAI MARSH.
• SEVERAL WATER BODIES AT PALLIKARANAI
VILLAGE WERE ONCE CONNECTED TO
NARAYANAPURAM THROUGH A LARGER
STREAM WHICH FLOWED FROM SOUTH-
WEST TO NORTH, 6
• ONE OF CHENNAI'S OLDEST LAKES -
THE NARAYANAPURAM LAKE, ALONG THE
THORAPPAKKAM-PALLAVARAM RADIAL ROAD

• IN THOSE GOOD OLD DAYS, THIS LAKE USED TO BE

A CONSOLIDATION POINT, AS EXCESS OF WATER
FROM THE NEARBY PONDS AND LAKES WOULD
FLOW INTO IT.
• EXCESSIVE CONCRETE ENCROACHMENTS, THIS IS
NOT POSSIBLE ANYMORE. THE GREAT LAKE, WHICH
WAS USED FOR IRRIGATION PURPOSES FOR 350
HECTARES OF LAND ONCE, IS LITERALLY
STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE TODAY.

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 SETTLEMENT:
• IN JULY 2011, PALLIKARANAI WAS JOINED WITH THE
CORPORATION OF CHENNAI. A CENTRAL GRANT FOR
SEWAGE SYSTEM CONSTRUCTION IN PALLIKARANAI
IS AWARDED TO STATE GOVERNMENT OF TAMIL
NADU

• PALLIKARANAI IS SURROUNDED BY MADIPAKKAM IN

THE NORTHWEST, VELACHERY IN THE
NORTH, PERUNGUDI IN THE NORTHEAST,
KOVILAMBAKKAM IN THE WEST, THURAIPAKKAM IN
THE EAST, NANMANGALAM IN
SOUTHWEST, MEDAVAKKAM IN THE SOUTH
AND KARAPAKKAM IN THE SOUTHEAST ON ECR. IT IS
PART OF CHENNAI FROM YEAR 2012 WHICH HAS 3
WARDS, 189,190 AND 191 UNDER ZONE 14.
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• THIS REVEALED 160 ACRES OF LAKE BED IN
PALLIKARANAI AND 58 ACRES OF LAKE BED IN
KOVILAMBAKKAM HAD BEEN ENCROACHED UPON.
• THE DATA SHOWED THAT 25 GROUNDS OF
NARAYANAPURAM LAKE 954 GROUNDS OF
PALLIKARANAI MARSH (SURVEY NO 657) HAVE BEEN
ENCROACHED UPON IN THE PALLIKARANAI AREA.
• APART FROM THIS, 740 GROUNDS OF LAND CLASSIFIED
AS GOVERNMENT POROMBOKE LAND (SURVEY NO. 435)
HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY TAKEN OVER.
• CRAMMED INTO THE TINY STREETS AROUND
PALLIKARNAI PERIYA ERI, ARE MORE THAN 15,000
MATCHBOX-SIZED HOUSES THAT HAVE COME UP IN THE
LAST 20 YEARS AND SLOWLY EATEN INTO THE LAKE BED. 9
 LANDUSE
• THE LAND USE MAP PREPARED FOR PALLIKARANAI
AND ITS ADJOINING AREA TOPOGRAPHIC SHEET
SHOWS THAT THERE IS RAPID INCREASE IN THE AREA
UNDER WETLANDS FROM 1991 TO 2010 AND THE
AREA UNDER SETTLEMENT HAS INCREASED RAPIDLY.
THE WETLAND HAS REDUCED FROM 26 PER CENT IN
1991 TO 13 PER CENT BY 2011, WHEREAS,
SETTLEMENT HAS INCREASED FROM 39 PER CENT IN
1991 TO 63 PER CENT BY 2011.

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MAJOR CAUSES
OF EXPLOITATION

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 ENCROACHMENTS
RADIAL ROAD CONSTRUCTION

• THE PALLAVARAM THORAIPAKKAM RADIAL ROAD COVERS

A LENGTH OF 11 KM STARTING FROM THE FLYOVER IN
PALLAVARAM, PASSING THROUGH KILKATTALAI,
PALLIKARANAI JUNCTION AND AT LAST REACHING AT
THORAIPAKKAM ROAD.
• WHILE HEADING TO PALLAVARAM FROM
THORAIPAKKAM, ONE COULD SEE A LARGE PORTION
OF THE NARAYANAPURAM LAKE ON THE LEFT HAND
SIDE WHERE MEN USED TO WASH CLOTHES. IN THIS
PART, DEEPENING HAS BEEN DONE.
• SEWAGE WATER FLOWING IN AT ONE PLACE HAS
BEEN IDENTIFIED AND IS TO BE PLUGGED.
•
THE RIGHT SIDE PORTION OF THE LAKE IS NOW
COVERED WITH THE INVASIVE WATER HYACINTH
WEED.
• EFFORTS ARE ON TO CLEAR IT USING THE
RESTORATION WORK INCLUDED CLEANING OF 12
CHANNELS CLOSE TO THE LAKE ON BOTH SIDES.
• THE PALLAVARAM-THORAIPAKKAM RADIAL ROAD WAS ONCE A SPRAWLING OPEN SPACE WITH FIELDS,
MARSHLAND AND LUSH GREENERY ALL AROUND. THROUGH THE YEARS, A STEADY RISE OF
COMMERCIAL, RESIDENTIAL AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENTS IN THE STRETCH MADE IT AN
EMERGING HUB IN THE SUBURBS OF THE CITY.
• ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD CLOSER TO THORAIPAKKAM, THE LANDSCAPE CHANGES INTO A
MARSHLAND THAT ACCOMMODATES VARIOUS MIGRATORY BIRDS DURING THE SEASON. IT IS VITAL TO
NOTE THAT A PORTION OF THAT MARSHLAND IS A DUMPING YARD, WHERE NO COMMERCIAL AND 13
RESIDENTIAL TRACES OF DEVELOPMENT EXIST.
• THERE ARE NUMEROUS FLATS FOR SALE IN
PALLAVARAM THORAIPAKKAM ROAD THAT ARE
IN DEMAND BECAUSE OF THE FACILITIES THAT
THE LOCATION HAS.
• WITH REASONABLE PRICING FOR SUCH A
VALUABLE LOCATION CLOSE TO OMR, ECR AND
GST ROAD, THE EMERGING CORRIDOR IS
DEVELOPING WITH A PACE THAT LOOKS AT
POTENTIAL OF GOOD APPRECIATION VALUE RISE
IN THE FUTURE.
• RADIAL ROAD ALSO HAS FEW POPULAR 14
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND HOSPITALS
ALONG WITH SEVERAL RETAIL HUBS.
FLOODS
AND
DAMAGES

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 FLOODING :
• THE PALLIKARANAI - VELACHERY STRETCH WAS
ONE OF THE MOST AFFECTED DURING THE
FLOODS.
• THE PRIMARY REASON FOR THIS IS THAT THE
ENTIRE AREA IS ONLY 0 TO 2 METRES ABOVE SEA
LEVEL AND WATER FROM ALL OTHER LAKES RUN
DOWN THE GRADIENT INTO THE PALLIKARANAI
MARSH. THE AREA IS NOT SUITABLE FOR
RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT AND LACK OF ANY
URBAN PLANNING OVER THE LAST 2 DECADES IS
HITTING THE RESIDENTS SIGNIFICANTLY NOW.
• ALSO, OVER THE YEARS THE MARSHLAND HAS
BEEN HEAVILY ENCROACHED AND POLLUTED. THE
HUGE GARBAGE DUMPYARD HAS POLLUTED THE
MARSHLAND HEAVILY. 16
• THE AREAS AROUND THE 3 KM CHANNEL
CONNECTING KILKATTALAI TO
NARAYANAPURAM LAKE WERE HEAVILY
FLOODED LAST TIME DUE TO THE OVERFLOW
IN THE CHANNEL.

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• DUMPING ALL SORTS OF WASTE DIRECTLY.
GARBAGE FROM SMALL INDUSTRIES, HOUSES,
GATED COMMUNITIES, AND A SMALL PAPER
INDUSTRY ARE ALL DUMPED
• SEWAGE FROM THE SURROUNDING AREAS IS ALSO
LET DIRECTLY
• RAW SEWAGE AND CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS
ALONG THE LAKES CAUSING SEVERE BLOCKS.
• EXCESSIVE GROWTH OF WATER HYACINTH WHICH
HINDERS THE FLOW DURING FLOODS.
• ULTIMATELY CAUSING WATER POLLUTION, LEADING
TO INVASION OF SEWAGE AND DRAINAGE WATER
INSIDE THE RESIDENCES IN TIMES OF FLOOD AND
DISASTER.
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 RECOMMANDATION:
• WIDENING OF CHANNELS BY CLEARING ENCROACHMENTS
NEEDS TO BE CARRIED OUT IMMEDIATELY.
• GARBAGE DUMPING TO BE STOPPED AND EXISTING
GARBAGE TO BE CLEARED
• DESILTING OF CHANNELS NEEDS TO BE CARRIES OUT
IMMEDIATELY.
• SEPARATION OF DRAINAGE AND STORM WATER CHANNELS
TO BE UNDERTAKEN
• THE DESILTING, GARBAGE REMOVAL, HYACINTH REMOVAL
AND CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS REMOVAL IN THE CHANNEL
CONNECTING NARAYANAPURAM NEEDS TO BE DONE OVER
THE ENTIRE STRETCH IMMEDIATELY

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