one of the things that this blog has repeatedly pointed out, is the death of urban rivers, lakes, temple tanks and water bodies. and this 'development' of india's urban areas is one of the main reasons of the tremendous pressure on our far f lunged ecosystems in terms of polluting coal power plants, useless and fake dams, massive water pipes onto cities, etc.

chennai's porur lake is a classic example of this. situated just outside of chennai (with chennai expanding it is more like within chennai rather than outskirts), this lake is a vital one for ground water recharge and also a crucial source of supply to chennai.

but the real story is that it was encroached (now cleared) and now abused with garbage dump. and as crucial water bodies such as porur lake dies, so does sustainable development.
(the deteriorating lake bed of porur lake in outskirts of chennai with garbage dump and convered lorry parking lot - deteriorating 'development')