Porur Lake is an important drinking water source for Chennai. During a recent visit to the lake, members of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, headed by its Chairperson Mrs.Sheela Rani Chunkath, and officers of the CMWSSB and Police Department saw residents from nearby localities bathing, relieving themselves, washing clothes and cattle and also dumping garbage into it.

Now, water is the most essential medium for survival of life and cannot be substituted. Abuse of drinking water sources, as is being done in the Porur lake, results in spread of microbes that cause illnesses like polio, hepatitis, cholera, typhoid and other gastrointestinal diseases. These latter diseases account for about three million deaths in the world every year, with India contributing approximately a third of the number. They can be prevented by provision of safe drinking water, proper sewage disposal, environmental sanitation and clean personal habits, hygienic storage of water and food, chlorinating and boiling of water.

Government's efforts to persuade people to filter and boil drinking water before use is largely negatived because of the large-scale pollution of water bodies.

Actions leading to pollution are liable to be punished under both the Indian Penal Code and the Water Prevention and Control of Pollution Act 1974. But little is being done to prevent the Porur lake contamination. 

Now, as a first step, the TNPCB has removed the stones used for washing clothes and counselled people against misusing the lake waters. But much more needs to be done. A consolidated effort of all government agencies is called for. Stringent action has to be taken against those found polluting the lake. 

The water should be periodically analyzed and the levels of pollution widely publicized, so as to create awareness among the public. The health department should educate the people about water borne diseases and the tourism department can examine developing the lake area into a tourist spot, which would have round-the-clock security and bright lights, that would be a deterrent to those causing the pollution. 

But before everything else, the Government should immediately fence off the lake, thus preventing people from playing havoc with the health of an entire city.