GCC asks contractors to finish waterbody restoration soon

According to a Chennai Corporation official, restoration works of around 80 waterbodies across the city have been almost completed. “We have to complete the pending works to dedicate the restored 

waterbodies to the city residents,” the official said. A few days ago, the civic body conducted a meeting with the contractors who are entrusted with the restoration works, during which they were asked to hasten the work.

The Chennai Corporation has taken up a project to restore 210 waterbodies under Chennai Mega City Development Mission, Smart City Mission and Corporate Social Responsibility fund. Of the 210 

waterbodies, works were initiated in 183 of them. At an event held recently, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami dedicated as many as 33 lakes to the city. Now, the civic body is awaiting funds to take up works at remaining ones.

Apart from instructing the contractors to expedite the ongoing works, the senior officials have also asked the Corporation engineers to create inlets and strengthening of bunds of the waterbodies where works were already completed.

“During the first phase of the restoration project, we had earmarked boundaries of the waterbodies and created bunds. Later, we received more funds and created inlet points to let rainwater to be stored in the waterbodies. Now, we are going to create inlet points at the waterbodies whose bunds were newly formed,” he added.

Besides restoring the lakes in the city, the initiative has also created a much-needed awareness among the residents, claimed the civic body. Now, several citizens are reaching out to the officials to report 

abandoned waterbodies in their localities and also about the ones that have been encroached upon over the years.

Apart from the lakes, the Corporation has restored 117 unused community wells while the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (Metro Water) restored 174 community wells. These would help recharge groundwater table during the monsoon season.