The first phase of de-silting the Vandiyur tank which involved public participation across four weekends came to an end on Sunday morning.
School and college students, environmentalists and residents from the surrounding areas manually de-silted the tank. The recent rain have not only given some relief from the scorching heat but also brought in some water flow in the otherwise the bone-dry tank. The public initiative started by the Federation for Vandiyur Tank Water Development (FVTWD), National Water Department Technology (NAWAD Tech) and residents to de-silt the tank which began on October 2 has played a major part which has resulted in the tank getting filled in parts with water.
“The tank bed has been deepened for a length of 700 metre, breadth of 10 metre and depth of 2 metre,” said Sheik Dawood, president of the FVTWD. Nearly 50 per cent of the work is complete and the tank holds almost 100 lakh litres of water now, said members who were engaged in the initiative.
As per the original plan, small islands that were higher than the water level were proposed to be created with the silt removed from the tank. The tank bed now has one island that covers an acre.
“Desilting the tank bed will continue after the monsoons through machine work. The public awareness initiative which was planned for four weeks has been successful in creating awareness of the importance of the tank as a water source,” said D. Raghavan, FVTWD coordinator.
Many residential associations and industries, which include Sridevi Industries, Gomathipuram Residents Association and Natchiar Trust, raised funds and sponsored the work.
