As part of rejuvenation of water bodies in Mayiladuthurai district, the civic administration has started works to desilt and give a facelift to Angalamman pond at the centre of the town to improve the groundwater table.
The 1.5-acre pond beside Kamarajar road opposite the Combined Court Complex in Mayiladuthurai is one of the major sources of groundwater recharge as the neighbouring localities of the pond are thickly populated and form the core area of the town.
The pond had been abandoned for a while with the invasion of bushes and exotic species of plants. A few years ago, the civic body had fenced the tank to avoid accidents as it lies close to the busy road. Then it was turned into a garbage dump by local residents.
Environmental activists and residents had demanded rejuvenation of the pond for many years. Last year, the civic body mooted a proposal under Kalaignar Nagarpura Membattu Thittam (KNMT), which aims to improve the infrastructure of town panchayats and municipalities, to desilt and rejuvenate the 6,074 square metre tank at an estimated cost of ₹87 lakh.
An official said works to desilt the pond began in August last year. Encroachments and invasive species in the pond were removed. The inlet and outlet channels were desilted in order to ensure free flow of water from a stream that branched off from the Cauvery river and provisions were made to collect the storm water from the nearby areas.
“Rejuvenation of Angalamman Pond is crucial to increasing the water table in residential areas of the town as the condition of other ponds is deteriorating fast,” said K. Ashok, a nearby resident.
Recently, the civic body has completed the strengthening of bunds on two sides of the pond and works are under way to finish the remaining works before June.
