Residents and panchayat authorities of Perumbakkam have sought the help of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board to address the contamination of the lake in the area. Following a pungent stench emanating from the Perumbakkam lake, only source of drinking water to a few hundred families, officials of the panchayat stopped supplying water to them through pipelines and deployed private water tankers. The Perumbakkam lake spreads over 200 acres and is a vital source of water to residents and farmers in Perumbakkam, Vengaivaasal and Sithalapakkam villages. Nearly 100 families raise vegetables and other crops whenever water is available in the lake.