The Chennai Corporation has joined hands with two NGOs from the city to clean, desilt and restore a major part of the Madhavaram Oma Kulam, formerly a bone-dry water body filled with debris, within a span of two-and-a-half months.
As part of its efforts to restore water bodies across the city, the corporation collaborated with the Environmentalist Foundation of India and City Connect to clear garbage and debris, followed by desilting and building bunds around the structure to improve storage levels.
Corporation officials said 421 water bodies in the city limits will be restored through community-based efforts, as part of the Smart City initiative.
"The aim is to desilt water bodies, and to provide inlets and outlets for storing water and improve the groundwater levels," said a senior corporation official.
Several truckloads of debris and garbage were removed by the corporation ahead of cleaning operations from the Madhavaram Oma Kulam that is spread across three acres of land.
"Ponds, lakes and other structures to recharge groundwater have become dump yards. This has not only depleted the available groundwater but also led to scarcity. After the clean-up, invasive weeds were cleared, the pond was desilted and a box pit was introduced for harvesting rainwater," said a source involved in the initiative. It is essential to revive water habitats and maintain them as biodiversified hotspots, thus improving groundwater recharge and temperature regulation, he said.
Work is ongoing to build bunds around the structure, which would be raised to prevent encroachment of any sort in the future, and for increased storage of water.
"Native species of plants will be planted around the water body to improve the green cover in the area," he added.
As part of its efforts to restore water bodies across the city, the corporation collaborated with the Environmentalist Foundation of India and City Connect to clear garbage and debris, followed by desilting and building bunds around the structure to improve storage levels.
Corporation officials said 421 water bodies in the city limits will be restored through community-based efforts, as part of the Smart City initiative.
"The aim is to desilt water bodies, and to provide inlets and outlets for storing water and improve the groundwater levels," said a senior corporation official.
Several truckloads of debris and garbage were removed by the corporation ahead of cleaning operations from the Madhavaram Oma Kulam that is spread across three acres of land.
"Ponds, lakes and other structures to recharge groundwater have become dump yards. This has not only depleted the available groundwater but also led to scarcity. After the clean-up, invasive weeds were cleared, the pond was desilted and a box pit was introduced for harvesting rainwater," said a source involved in the initiative. It is essential to revive water habitats and maintain them as biodiversified hotspots, thus improving groundwater recharge and temperature regulation, he said.
Work is ongoing to build bunds around the structure, which would be raised to prevent encroachment of any sort in the future, and for increased storage of water.
"Native species of plants will be planted around the water body to improve the green cover in the area," he added.