Indian Columbus

Ponmar is a rare locality in Chennai with no water scarcity. No wonder why most of the drinking water can companies are located in this village. The village pond, located in Ponmar junction, was a scenic spot with so many lotus and lily flowers till one year ago. It gave an excellent village experience as it is surrounded by trees and a small village temple. However, the Panchayat started some renovation work in this pond, and from then onwards, the waterbody lost its beauty. We hope the administrative body finishes work soon and the pond is restored to its original glory. 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. And most of those surviving waterbodies hardly have water, and even some of them that have water have been poorly shrunk. In Chennai, there are tank roads without tanks nearby and lake-view roads without lakes. There is a high possibility that even the few ...

This temple of Nellore Amman was the main attraction of Selaiyur village in those days. Now, it has become a lesser-known site. The private temple has enough funds, and many renovations keep happening. However, no step has been taken to upkeep the temple pond. The tiny pond, which is spread around an area of 0.10 acre, would have been a scenic sight had it been maintained properly. Unfortunately, it remains neglected in the corner of this temple. The other side of the tank has garbage piled up. 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. And most of those surviving waterbodies hardly have water, and even some of them that have water have been poorly shrunk. In Chennai, there are tank roads without tanks nearby and lake-view roads without lakes. There is a high possibility that even the few waterbodies we have today might vanish soon. I decided to visit the currently su...

Sithalapakkam is a locality near Tambaram in South Chennai, which is lucky to have surrounded by many lakes and hills. The lake that is located precisely in this village is called Sithalapakkam Lake. It covers an area of around 230 acres. Rare birds used to visit this lake. The sight of birds has become rare thanks to fast urbanization and poor maintenance. Though the lake is comparatively cleaner and has water, it is not because of any steps taken by the Government. In fact, if the Government takes appropriate steps to stop the locals from throwing garbage on its banks and removing hyacinths, it would live as a picturesque lake of the city. 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. And most of those surviving waterbodies hardly have water, and even some of them that have water have been poorly shrunk. In Chennai, there are tank roads without tanks nearby and lake-...

This scenic pond never dries up, you know? Thanks to the local administration for taking adequate steps to preserve this pond from encroachments. However, their efforts have started going to waste recently as garbage and liquor bottles are thrown on the pond's banks. The pond that covers an area of around 1.5 acres is always full of lotus and lily flowers. It is called Moovarasanpet pond by the locals. It is located in Moovarasanpet, the southern outskirts of Chennai city. The nearest landmark is Gangai Amman Temple. 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. And most of those surviving waterbodies hardly have water, and even some of them that have water have been poorly shrunk. In Chennai, there are tank roads without tanks nearby and lake-view roads without lakes. There is a high possibility that even the few waterbodies we have today might vanish soon. I decided t...

The waterbody that runs parallel to Tiruvanchery Road covers an area of about 80 acres, with Muthmariamman Temple at one end and New Grace Church called Madambakkam Lake. Hold on! A much bigger lake spreading over 128 acres from Agaram Then Panchayat Office to Meikai Vinayak temple of Madampakkam is also named Madampakkam Lake. It does not stop there. 87 acres of the lake that start near the Vengaivasal community hall till the back side of Ruby Garden apartments of Tiruvancheri is called Madampakkam Lake. The little 6 acres of waterbody near Tellus Avenue is also called Madampakkam Lake. What do you think? Are there four or more lakes in the city with the same name? Nope! It is a sad story of such massive encroachment, drastically changing the landscape. Somewhere I read that the lake was sprawling for 200 acres originally, and now it shrunk. I deny that. In my opinion, the original size of the lake must be around 900 acres. Over 70% of the waterbody has been converted into schools, c...

"It's an ancient temple city. Don't pollute the water body." The board on the gate of the entrance of this beautiful tank of Madampakkam reads so. Well, the village authorities have taken the necessary steps to protect this waterbody from encroachments and other ways of pollution by building tall walls around it. This has ensured that no one approaches this lesser-known village tank and spoils its beauty. This tank, which spreads around 0.75 acres, is located at the end of Paduvancheri-Madampakkam Road near Madampakkam lake. 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. And most of those surviving waterbodies hardly have water, and even some of them that have water have been poorly shrunk. In Chennai, there are tank roads without tanks nearby and lake-view roads without lakes. There is a high possibility that even the few waterbodies we have today might van...