School students lead the way in conserving chennai’s water bodies

As a primary step, the school has adopted the Neelankarai dhobi pond and children from the school visit the pond and take part in cleaning activities under the guidance of teachers, parents and volunteers.

Radhika Rajesh, the principal of the school, says, “The school was started with the central idea of nature and is based on the significance of the environment we provide for our children. It is imperative that the importance of the environment that will sustain future generations be taught to children at an early age. We have a programme called SEVA (Social Empowerment through Value education and Action) and for this year, we wanted our students to learn and understand the importance of preserving water. We discussed the idea with the parents and they were keen to start the project.”

With the help of the NGO, Communitree, the school management met the Corporation officials and got permission to adopt a pond. “We decided to adopt a nearby pond so that it will be easier for our students to commute. That’s how we zeroed in on Neelankarai dhobi pond. Every Friday, students from My School Global visit the pond and take part in cleaning activities. Before venturing out, our teachers educate the children about water conservation and the importance of preserving lakes and ponds,” says the principal.

The school is now inviting the public to join them in the cleaning activity. “It’s an open event where anyone can participate. Schools, colleges, private companies, individuals, etc can spare a few hours on all Saturdays to maintain, beautify, enhance and keep the pond safe for the public. They can get in touch with the school and we can provide all the necessary details about the adopt-a-pond programme,” says Radhika.

The students from the school are planning to create awareness on plastic pollution and lake conservation in the neighbourhood.