Civic body plans city-wide waterbody census, restoration

In the latest development, the civic body organised a meeting with other department officials in Ripon Buildings, on Friday, to discuss and plan a city-wide census on the waterbodies.

Officials from the Greater Chennai Corporation, Public Works Department, Metrowater, Revenue Department and other related departments participated in the meeting, in which, the methodology of conducting the census was discussed. Once the census is completed, waterbodies that have been completely encroached upon and obliterated of their existence are expected to be identified and restored.

“There are hundreds of waterbodies, including several small ponds, in the city and many of them are not accounted for. We have to create a database of them so that we can restore and maintain them,” an official said.

During the census, the Corporation and other departments would collect data about all the waterbodies by collating the land documents being maintained by the Revenue Department.

It is also expected that the government would entrust restoration of more waterbodies to the civic body after the completion of the census. Apart from the Corporation, Public Works Department and Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department are also maintaining waterbodies in city limits.

“We have already taken up the restoration of as many as 210 waterbodies, including temple ponds, and completed works on more than 100 waterbodies. We are roping in several NGOs and corporate firms to restore them and we have a very good system,” the official added.

Meanwhile, around 30 more corporate firms have approached the Corporation seeking permission to restore waterbodies under corporate social responsibility. Already, the civic body had handed over as many as 48 water bodies to corporate firms for restoration.

In another development, the Corporation officials have started to map the 210 water bodies that are entrusted upon them based on GIS technology.