Chennai: Pond construction puts end to water plight

Chennai: When Tamil Nadu is facing an acute water crisis, Adigathur poses an exceptional and plentiful scene with water-filled ponds and improved ground water levels even as the sun shows no mercy.

Inspired by many environmentalists including Piyush Manush, the Panchayat Presidents, C. Sumathi and K. Chidambaranathan constructed nine ponds in the village utilising government funds.

The village with a population of 2,800 noticed depletion in ground water levels 15 years ago following indiscriminate sand mining in the adjoining Cooum River,. “The borewells erected here got dry. There was a reduction in the ground water levels too. That’s when we had decided to construct ponds,” said Sumathi.
The couple had travelled to Ralegan Siddhi, an ideal village developed by Anna Hazare, to formulate a plan on water conservation. “Bunds were constructed to retain water and to improve ground water levels,” explained Sumathi.

Making use of MGNREGA, villagers were employed for the pond construction to create a sense of love and responsibility on the water bodies. “Even though the investment is high for employing people, the result is great. No one pollutes the water in the ponds,” said Chidambaranathan.

While a few ponds are dry, most of them have water till the brim. The sight of cattle and dogs quenching their thirst at the ponds in the summer is something to cherish at the village.

Embracing the two-bin policy for waste disposal and saying no to artificial fertilisers is the trend here.

A waste-processing unit at the village is an example of proper implementation of the newly formulated Municipal Solid Waste Rules, 2016.

Though local bodies were dissolved for the upcoming civic polls, the couple still function as the representatives as they recently de-silted the water bodies and took up tree plantation drive. “We had lost so many trees after Vardah Cyclone. However, I want to challenge nature by planting 1,000 trees,” said Chidambaranathan.