North-West Chennai is home to several freshwater bodies. This water-rich region is a habitat to large lakes to small ponds and even a river. Over the period of time, urbanization has led to some of these water bodies being exploited and some have even vanished.
The Karuppan Pond at Menambedu is one such water body subjected to exploitation. Domestic waste was being constantly dumped over a decade in the pond and construction debris was fast filling up the pond. Upon receiving appropriate permissions from the G.C.C, Environmentalist Foundation of India (E.F.I) took on the ecological-scientific restoration of the pond.
This included efforts aimed at:
a. Regulating the inflow and outflow systems to the pond.
b. Deepening the pond based on the aquifer depth.
c. Creating a first of its kind Central Circular Recharge Pit (C.C.R.P) which is connected to Triangular shafts located on the borders of the pond. This balancing recharge approach is being implemented for the first time in Chennai.
d. The earthen bunds along the circumference were raised and strengthened.
e. The construction debris and trash removed and safely disposed of with support from GCC.
f. Once the monsoon sets in the bunds, they would be planted with several native berry-bearing, nectar-bearing and fruit-bearing saplings.
In 3 months the pond has been revived from its previous state of apathy. The fact that collaborative community efforts deliver positive results is reiterated by this restoration.
