Amid the bustle of Anna Nagar, a patch of land that was once a makeshift dumpyard along the Cooum banks will soon provide some much-needed lung space in the area.
To create more green spaces in Chennai, Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI), an environmental conservation group, is developing the land into ‘Kanagam’, a sports-integrated urban eco-park under the Greater Chennai Corporation’s Nammaku Naame Thittam.
Dotted by high-rise buildings and a busy shopping mall, the area lacks a park or a playground.
The Corporation officials said about 80% of the work to convert the open space reservation (OSR) land into an urban eco-park at a cost of ₹1.03 crore had been completed so far. Spread over 4.08 acres, the eco-park will also boast a Miyawaki forest.
The park area has been split to provide sports facilities and green cover. Some of the native saplings planted a year ago have started bearing fruits. Arun Krishnamurthy, EFI founder, said such abandoned urban clusters of lands are being taken up to be developed as green pockets in the city along with CSR partners.
Other than flowering plants, about 1,700 native tree saplings, including neem, banyan, mango and nectar-bearing trees, have been planted in the space.
Similarly, the sports area too would provide a natural environment with earthen playing fields for sports such as football and volleyball and walking tracks.
The park would function as a space for groundwater recharge as well with rainwater harvesting structures in place.
It would be inaugurated in about a month. There are plans to develop OSR lands as urban forests in Ennore and Madhavaram in the city apart from areas in Chengalpattu district, he said.
Officials said the civic body had partnered with a voluntary organisation, Thuvakkam, and created a similar eco-park at Vyasarpadi.
More such initiatives would be taken up on suitable lands.
Published - June 10, 2023 08:43 pm IST
