Chembarampakkam Lake (Waterbodies of Chennai - 35)

If you're a resident of Chennai or its surrounding suburban areas, Chembarampakkam Lake is a name you're likely well-acquainted with. This lake holds a pivotal role in supplying your drinking water or may have left a lasting impact due to its overflow during the 2015 Chennai floods. Whether for better or worse, if you call this city home, Chembarampakkam Lake is etched into your memory.

Situated in the village of Chembarampakkam, approximately 30 kilometers from Chennai, this lake stands as one of the two crucial river-fed water reservoirs serving Chennai, the other being Puzhal Lake. With a full capacity of 3,645 million cubic feet and a full tank capacity reaching 85.4 feet, it plays a vital role in the region's water management.

For practical purposes, Chembarampakkam Lake can be regarded as the birthplace of the Adyar River. While technically Malaipattu Tank near Manimangalam village and Adanur Tank near Guduvanchery could also be considered sources of the Adyar, it's the consistent flow of water from Chembarampakkam Lake that truly defines the Adyar River.

In both positive and challenging circumstances, this lake has left an indelible mark on the lives of Chennai's residents.

Happy travelling.

Note: As per a report, there were about 650+ waterbodies in the Chennai region till the 1980s. Today, only a fraction of them exist. Most of those surviving waterbodies hardly have water, and even some of them that have water had been poorly shrunk. In Chennai, there are tank roads without tanks nearby and lake-view roads without any lake in the vicinity. There is a high possibility that even the few water bodies we have today might vanish soon. I thought of visiting the currently surviving waterbodies of Chennai and its suburbs and write about them in my blog as a series.