The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Guindy Park ponds desilted, deepened

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 29, 2006
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Guindy Park ponds desilted, deepened

P. Oppili

Rs.1.2 lakh project funded by Union Ministry of Forests

WORK ON: This picture taken last week shows Wildlife authorities inspecting a pond at the Guindy National Park. — Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

CHENNAI: Two major ponds inside Guindy National Park (GNP) have been deepened and desilted by the wildlife authorities.

The work started about 20 days ago and was completed even before the onset of the rains, the officials said.

Ashish Srivastava, Wildlife Warden, Chennai, said the works were taken up at a cost of Rs.1.2 lakh, and that the funds were provided by the Union Ministry of Forests and Environment.

Apart from deepening and desilting the major ponds inside the GNP, they had also cleaned the channels that took water to the smaller ponds, including the Duck and Bogi ponds. Mr. Srivastava said that in 2002 water harvesting was done both at the Children's Park and the Guindy National Park. Earlier, the rainwater that collected at these places used to just drain away, he said.

Now self-sufficient

The deepening and desilting helped to recharge the groundwater table besides providing water for the animals and other life forms inside the GNP. Apart from this, water from the borewells dug in the GNP is used to provide water to the visitors of the Children's Park.

Mr. Srivastava said that before the introduction of the water harvesting system at the park the authorities used to buy tanker loads of water from Metrowater. But, now the park has become self-sufficient as far as water supply is concerned, he said.

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