CHENNAI: The parks department under the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) will be setting up sponge parks in many parks in 11 zones to prevent floods in the surrounding areas and also help recharge groundwater.
The project will be carried out in five packages at an estimated cost of Rs 7.90 lakh.
Sponge parks are beneficial in low-lying areas and have the ability to collect and store water during heavy rain. This prevents inundation in the locality, and also helps in recharging groundwater level and make urban spaces more absorbent.
An estimated cost of Rs 1.95 lakh would be spent on the formation of sponge parks and construction of motor rooms at various parks in at least 8 wards in Manali, Tondiarpet and Royapuram (zones 2,4 and 5 respectively). The work will be carried out in package one.
The parks department will work in several parks in four zones — Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, Anna Nagar, Teynampet and Kodambakkam — under package two. The approximate funding allocated for the project is Rs 1.44 lakh.
Similarly, Valasavakkam and Alandur zones (package 3), and Shollinganallur (package 4), in south Chennai will also get sponge parks at an estimated cost of Rs 90,000 and Rs 1.66 lakh respectively.
Under package 5, a sponge park would be formed at Ranga Avenue in Madharavam (Zone 3). Additionally, an eco- park is expected to be built on OSR land at Manickam Pillai Street, Mannurpet, in Ambattur, at a cost of Rs 1.95 lakh for both projects.