Vadakkuppattu Lake (Water bodies of Chennai - 75)

Vadakkupattu Lake, also known as Medavakkam Periya Eri, spans approximately 200 acres, with a bund stretching around 1.7 km. Once much larger, the lake has shrunk over time due to encroachments. Since Medavakkam has another smaller lake, this one is referred to as Periya Eri, meaning "Big Lake." Despite urban pressures, recent initiatives have focused on cleaning the lake and improving its surroundings.

Encouragingly, efforts are underway to restore the lake, with plans to enhance the bund area by developing parks and green spaces. These measures aim to preserve the waterbody while providing a better environment for local residents. With continued conservation efforts, there is hope that Vadakkupattu Lake will regain its former prominence as a vital ecological and recreational space.

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.