chennai a lake in sembakkam near tambaram once a source of drinking water for residents of the surrounding areas including chitlapakkam and pallavaram is now a garbage dump the sembakkam municipality dumps at least 25 tonnes of waste daily into the water body that sprawls over 104 acres apart from the overpowering stench say residents the dumped garbage is burnt polluting the air for miles around the area the problem is accentuated by the fact that sembakkam is among the suburbs experiencing a real estate boom with residential colonies springing up all over residents claimed that even after they moved the national green tribunal against the dumping of garbage in the water body no remedial steps had been taken people in neighbouring areas are also complaining the lake could have been an important source of groundwater in the area but illegal dumping of waste has ruined it said samuel jayaraj of voc street in rajakilpakkam many said the toxic fumes from the burning waste were causing a host of respiratory disorders among residents we have been complaining for many years but the municipal authorities are not taking any action said p santhanam a resident of sembakkams erikarai street right next to the lake sri sarvamangala nagar residents welfare association secretary m ravi said we have knocked on all doors for the upkeep of the lake when contacted sembakkam municipality chairman g m r santhakumar admitted to the problem but said the problem would end in about six months when garbage generated in sembakkam would be dumped at the integrated solid waste processing plant the municipality dumps at least 25 tonnesof waste daily into the water body that sprawls over 104 acres