Chennai Water Pollution: Thick White Foam Covers Pattinapakkam Beach After Excess Water Released From Chembarambakkam Lake

Heavy rainfall over the past few days in Chennai led to overflowing the Chembarambakkam lake and mixing with the Pattinapakkam river, with the garbage also dumped, thick white foam dumped into the sea and washed the shore, covering the beach of the Pattinapakkam river on Thursday, October 23.  

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Heavy rains have been lashing across Tamil Nadu as the northeast monsoon, which set in on October 16, has been active across the northern coastal districts for several days now. The IMD has also issued a warning of heavy rainfall with thunderstorms likely at several places in the state till October 27.

Chennai, Tamil Nadu: During the northeast monsoon, Sembarambakkam Lake overflowed into the Cooum River, releasing chemical waste into the sea near Pattinappakkam. This caused a kilometer-long white foam, endangering the health and fishing-based livelihoods of over 500… pic.twitter.com/MqlhTXs5WB

— IANS (@ians_india) October 23, 2025

Rainfall has also been reported in  Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kanchipuram, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Mayiladuthurai, Cuddalore, and Thanjavur districts over the past few days. Due to heavy rains in the Kanchipuram region and continuous water inflow, the Chembarambakkam Lake is rapidly filling up. 

Chembarambakkam Lake, one of the main sources of drinking water for Chennai, has a full capacity of 3,645 million cubic feet and a height of 24 feet. Today, the lake's water level stands at 21 feet, carrying 2,815 million cubic feet of water.