Residents of Ward 116 were delighted when over 100 streets in the region were concreted. Their joy was short-lived. For, following this exercise, inundation began to stare them in the face even after a light downpour.
Earlier, both sides of the tar-topped streets, had earth which absorbed rainwater. Now, the muddy strips lining the streets had also been concreted. Moreover, tar has a better water percolation rate than concrete.
If provision had been made for rainwater harvesting pits, this problem could have been averted.
Residents of Sundaramoorthy Vinayagar (SMV) Koil Street, which has over 300 families, stepped in to remedy the situation. Sathish Kumar, secretary of SMV Koil Street Residents Welfare Association, initiated a crowd-funded initiative to set up rainwater harvesting pits on their street.
Four three-feet-deep rainwater harvesting pits were created on the street. The pits were stuffed with coarse pebbles. They were then covered with concrete slabs with holes to aid percolation of the rainwater.
“We identified sections of the stretch where water stagnation was severe and dug pits there. It was an advantage that the locality has red soil, which has a high water percolation rate,” explains Sathish.
With the assistance of officials from Greater Chennai Corporation, the entire process, including drilling holes for the pits, took only a couple of days.
“After these RWH pits were set up, water on SMV Koil Street drains completely in 30 minutes. More importantly, groundwater levels rose from 30-40 feet to 80-90 feet. I hope more resident associations come forward to replicate this model in their streets,” adds Sathish.
For any guidance in setting up such an RWH system, Sathish can be contacted on 9884967871.