Chennai Volunteers Rescue Lake with Cleanups and Bird Walks

When Kumaresan Chandrabose started photographing birds at Nanmangalam Lake in Chennai, he didn't just capture images. He sparked a movement that's transforming how an entire community sees their polluted wetland.

The lake sits between residential neighborhoods and a reserve forest, serving as a home to rare migratory birds like the Chestnut-winged Cuckoo and the elusive Watercock. Local naturalists have documented dozens of species, from Yellow Bitterns nesting along the banks to Asian Paradise Flycatchers darting through nearby trees.

Their bird watching photos revealed something else too: plastic waste choking the wetland and cattle eating garbage near the shore. The documentation became evidence that something needed to change.

In June 2024, residents Jayapriya Ramanathan and R. Sathya launched "Saving Nanmangalam Lake," turning frustration into action. The citizen-led initiative tackles the lake's biggest threats: untreated sewage, illegal dumping, and a municipal garbage transit point sitting right between the forest and water.

The fragmented administration makes progress harder since different civic bodies control different portions of the lake. But the volunteers aren't waiting for perfect coordination.

Their cleanup drives have drawn hundreds of participants, with one walkathon attracting nearly 600 people. Elderly residents who can't join physical cleanups handle paperwork and coordinate with government departments from home.

The Ripple Effect

The initiative has expanded beyond weekend cleanups. Volunteers now run waste segregation programs in nearby neighborhoods, encouraging residents to switch from plastic to cloth bags and properly sort their trash.

Warning boards have appeared along the lake's South Bund Road, and new fencing protects vulnerable stretches. In some areas, illegal dumping has noticeably decreased since volunteers started their regular patrols.

The movement grew so much that organizers recently formed the Vanam and Neer Foundation to protect both the lake and the adjoining Nanmangalam Reserve Forest together. The core group of 15 active volunteers keeps expanding as more neighbors join nature walks and witness the biodiversity for themselves.

A Blue-throated Blue Flycatcher was recently spotted near a temple inside an apartment complex, proof that protecting the lake helps wildlife thrive in unexpected urban spaces. The Joker butterfly, though becoming scarcer as its host plant disappears, still flutters around native bushes volunteers are fighting to preserve.

Challenges remain real: garbage often reappears after cleanups, and urban development continues pressing against the lake's boundaries. Jayapriya notes that initially many people believed nothing would change, but growing public participation proves otherwise.

The same lake that once represented environmental neglect now hosts regular nature walks where families learn to identify darters and bitterns while picking up litter together.