The Coimbatore Corporation on Friday held a preliminary meeting for discussing ways to rejuvenate the eight tanks in its control and develop the areas around those. The scheme is part of the civic body’s proposal under the Smart Cities mission.
The Corporation officials held the meeting with designers from The Oasis Designs, civil society activists, and environment enthusiasts. Akash Hingorani, Principal Architect from The Oasis Designs, presented proposals on what the civic body could do to rejuvenate the water bodies.
Green initiatives
With minimum emphasis on brick and mortar structures and focus on green initiatives, the Corporation could plant those species that feed on polluted water to clean the water body. The plants should be there not for beautification but for doing the work [cleaning sewage],” Mr. Hingorani said.
Citing examples from China, the Philippines and a few Indian cities, he said the efforts should be directed to treat the polluted water as close to the source of pollution as possible. For, if they entered the water body, cleaning became all the more difficult.
He also spoke about how bund around tanks had not only blocked visibility but also paved way for dumping waste.
Corporation sources said that the designers were working with experts from SACON, environmentalists and others to make the project sustainable. The objective was for the city to own the lakes.
Final report
Based on inputs from officials and the activists, the designers would prepare the final report which the Corporation would then vet and sent for approval to the government, Corporation sources said.
Published - July 15, 2017 08:28 am IST
