Chennai: The Madras High Court yesterday cracked it’s whip on encroachments on water bodies in the State and also ordered a detailed report about number of lakes and reservoirs in Tamilnadu to be submitted. It also sought to know what steps were being taken to desilting these water bodies.

The PWD Secretary was impleaded as respondent to the present petition. The order was passed by Justice S Manikumar and Justice Subramonium Prasad. They were responding to a PIL seeking removal of encroachments in the feeding/supply channel from Palar river to Udayendram lake in Vellore.

The registry was asked to post the plea along with similar ones seeking removal of encroachments in water canals and bodies, and authorities concerned to provide details of the steps there had taken for removal of encroachments. They also directed that there should be continuous cleaning of channel.

“True that there is failure of monsoon for quite some time now. We have seen rules framed by the government for rain water harvesting… steps to have been taken for desilting four tanks in Chennai and the availability of water for supply to public in Chennai,” said the bench.

Because of the encroachments, the size of the lakes were reduced said the Bench. Secretary PWD who is vested with the custody of preserving the lakes was directed to submit a detailed report of the steps taken for removal of encroachment and issue a circular to all the district collectors to submit details of the action taken in their respective regions.

Report of desalination projects taken up by the Tamilnadu government, and to study if anything was done for additional desalination plant was asked to be submitted by the PWD secretary.

The case was posted for further hearing to 26 June.