Chennai: A three-acre abandoned land of the Waqf Board in Virugambakkam, which was once slushy and garbage-laden causing floods, is now a bustling pond and a haven for birds.
Located in Vembuliamman Kovil Street abutting Arcot Road, this abandoned land used to flood at least seven roads, including those near hospitals. About 600 residents affected by this appealed to the Greater Chennai Corporation to address inundation woes.
GCC wrote to the board to hand over the land.The civic body has now dug a five-foot deep pond, which is holding 54,000 million litres of water. Deputy commissioner (works) V Sivakrishnamurthy said they have taken possession of three such plots in Virugambakkam.
“In these residential neighbourhoods, these ponds are helping as a local storage space and reducing immediate flood risk,” he said.
GCC now plans to install gates and create a sitting area by levelling the bunds of the pond.
A tree island is also being created in the centre to accommodate birds, while compound walls are being raised to ensure encroachers stay off.
Residents have noe requested GCC to link the surplus area of this pond to stormwater drains connecting the MGR canal near Nesapakkam, 1.5 km away. K Sureshkumar, a resident, said GCC has to construct a 2-km drain taking water from the pond to Anna Main Road, connecting it to the canal which leads to the Adyar river.
“This pond is sufficient for up to 10 cm of rain. But drains are required for water to not flood the roads when it overflows. Further, the corporation has to remove at least 35 encroachments in the MGR canal and widen it by five feet in Nesapakkam,” he said.
