The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : `Rainwater harvesting excellent way of recharging groundwater'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 24, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

`Rainwater harvesting excellent way of recharging groundwater'

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, DEC. 23. Considering the water crisis in Tamil Nadu, rainwater harvesting is an excellent method of recharging groundwater, Subir Mitra, Senior Environmental Engineer, West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB), said.

He was part of a five-member team that visited Chennai to see the functioning of rainwater harvesting system here.

The team drawn from the WBPCB, the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority and the Institute of Wetland Management and Ecological Design, was shown the rainwater harvesting network round the Kairavini Pushkarani in the Parthasarathyswamy temple at Triplicane.

A.L. Radha Krishnan, Executive Engineer, Metrowater, said that the run-off water from the T.P. Koil Street and the Ice House and rooftops was let into the tank. There was water at a depth of six feet in the tank and two feet below the surface two wells had been dug to take in excess water in case of rain. There were eight pits to absorb the excess water from 10 feeder channels, which emptied the harvested rainwater in the event of the tank getting flooded.

T.P. Natesan, Deputy Hydro-geologist, Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board, said efforts by several groups had made the project successful.

T.J. Ramani, president of the Srinivas Young Men's Association, said a garden and lawns were being developed round the temple tank with the support of sponsors.

Tapas Kr. Gupta, Senior Environmental Engineer, the WBPCB, said the participation of the local people, administration, temple committee, the councillor and the media led to the project's success.

The team's aim was to implement the project in West Bengal.

D. Kaveri, Temple Assistant Commissioner, P. Nagarajan, councillor, S. Muthu Kumaran, Area Engineer VI, Metrowater, were present.

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