THIRUMULLAIVOYAL, A FAST-DEVELOPING SUBURB, STRUGGLES WITH POOR ROADS AND WATER WOES

Like several other areas on Chennai's fringes, Thirumullaivoyal, located on the western periphery of the city and falling under the Avadi Municipal Corporation, continues to lack comprehensive underground drainage and water supply systems in some of its residential localities

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Sandwiched between Avadi and Ambattur, Thirumullaivoyal — a rapidly developing locality abutting the Chennai-Tiruvallur High Road — grapples with some deep-rooted civic challenges that remain unresolved beneath the surface of its real estate boom.

Like several other areas on Chennai's fringes, Thirumullaivoyal, located on the western periphery of the city and falling under the Avadi Municipal Corporation, continues to lack comprehensive underground drainage and water supply systems in some of its residential localities. The lack of infrastructure is reflected in the pathetic state of its vital waterbodies, which cry out for attention.

Arafath Eri, which abuts C.T.H. Road on the eastern side and located amidst residential areas, is a classic example. According to the lake records, the waterbody, which feeds Ambattur lake in the downstream,

originally had a water spread area of nearly 61 hectares; it shrunk to 13.02 hectares over the past decades owing to rapid urbanisation and encroachments.

Water hyacinth covers Arafath lake in Thirumullaivoyal

A recent inspection by Minister for Minorities Welfare and Non-Resident Tamils Welfare S.M. Nasar and Tiruvallur Collector M. Prathap has sparked hopes of revival of the lake as a source of groundwater recharge.