Tank revived after 10 yrs in Thanjai

In what could imply the State government going on an overdrive in protecting waterbodies, especially after the recent encroachment drive that saw the razing down of over 550 houses abutting a lake in Coimbatore, the Thanjavur Corporation now has become the latest example of its efforts after reviving a tank that was lying abandoned for over a decade.

With the State reeling under an acute drinking water crisis, the public themselves seem to have volunteered to desilt or revive long-neglected waterbodies. A case in point may be when social activists and the youth in Thanjavur approached the civic body there to initiate steps to revive waterbodies in the city. Based on their request, the Corporation officials studied the waterbodies that are either yet to be desilted or revived.

In the study conducted, the civic body identified a 17,635 sq ft rainwater harvesting tank at Cholan Nagar in the heart of the city abandoned for over a decade. The civic body’s workers also said that the waterbody had shrunk gradually due to encroachment. Commissioner Janaki Ravindran then instructed workers to revive the tank.

On Saturday, around 100 workers visited the spot and commenced the tank’s revival drive that was inaugurated by the commissioner. The workers also removed karuvelam and cleared the encroachments that invaded the space over a period of time.

According to the commissioner, the tank was established in 2009 for rainwater harvesting. The 12-feet high tank could store about 1.96 crore litres of water. This was also used to store the excess water flowing from Kallanai canal, he said. He also said that the waterbody has now been revived and that the inlet has been cleaned to facilitate the free flow of water. Plant saplings have also been planted around the tank, he added.