In order to avoid water stagnation during heavy rain on Race Course Road, Coimbatore Smart Cities Limited, with the help of a private firm, has come up with an initiative to harvest rainwater using German technology.
Under the Smart Cities scheme, Coimbatore Corporation is developing model roads for 2.6 km and a media tree near Thomas Park at ₹ 40.07 crore.
As part of the project, the civic body plans to make the model road free from water stagnation during rain. With the help of Stone Hands, a private firm, the Corporation conducted a feasibility study of the terrain regarding the natural slope and water flow during heavy rain.
According to Corporation Commissioner M. Prathap, the civic body carried out a pilot project to install infiltration galleries made of recycled polypropylene material to collect rainwater for a stretch of 10 to 12 metres near Cosmopolitan Club.
After a review, it was decided to extend it for nearly one km adjacent to the cycle pathway up to Sir Shanmugam road at ₹ 2 crore.
In this arrangement, the rainwater will filter through a geo-fabric layer and a zone with different layers of pebbles before percolating into the ground. It will improve the groundwater recharge in that area.
The project manager of Stone Hands says 25 infiltration galleries are placed through the stretch and connected through a tunnel leading to a tank having one lakh litre capacity to store excess water.
