As part of its efforts to encourage community participation in ecological conservation, Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI), a city-based non-governmental organisation, has joined hands with government agencies to create awareness on lake ecology through wall art.
Among the various activities planned is “Wall-E” under which walls of government buildings, including those of the Greater Chennai Corporation and Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) and those around waterbodies will adorn colourful pictures of flora and fauna.
The recent works were on walls along Thiru. Vi. Ka. bridge, waterbodies in School Street, Sholinganallur, and Madhanakuppam pond, Ambattur.
Spotlight on Vandalur
On Saturday, as part of the Vandalur lake day programme, volunteers will be encouraged to participate in planting and maintaining saplings, cleaning trash along lakeside and painting the lake’s ecology. “We need to introduce new concepts to attract attention towards environment conservation. We have had lake safaris and cyclakes — cycle tours to lakes on weekends to make volunteering more engaging. ‘Wall-E’ is gaining prominence to provide aesthetic appeal to waterbodies that are being restored,” said EFI founder Arun Krishnamurthy.
Plans are afoot to paint information on Vandalur lake in walls along Outer Ring Road in the neighbourhood. Various activities on digital space are being planned as “Environtainment” where nature enthusiasts would have a platform to share photo stories and video snippets and take part in online events such as quiz and talk shows on waterbodies and ecosystem, he added.
EFI is implementing new techniques to make lake restoration ecologically sustainable. The trench system is one such to regulate the inflow and clean the lake. It would help circulate the water flowing into the lake evenly, particularly during non-monsoon days.
Most waterbodies restored last year, including those in Mittanamalli and Vandalur, have nesting islands in different shapes denoting alphabet — G, O and C. These would increase habitat for different species in their cavity.
This year, EFI is set to take up restoration of 33 waterbodies across the State and 17 of them are around Chennai, including in Morai, Sithalapakkam, Sathangadu and Vallakottai.
