The plan is to divert CSR funds towards restoration and inspire the local community to take ownership of the neighbourhood waterbody, corporation officials said.  A senior corporation official said that the waterbody portal would soon be launched and linked with the Chennai Smart City website. 

“We will list down more than 200 waterbodies in the city – be it a lake or a pond or a tank. Then, conduct an in-depth study of the waterbody, list out the requirements for restoration, in terms of infrastructure and funding. The residents can also track the progress of the restoration work online,” said the official. This will enable interested corporate organisations and residents to channel CSR funding (in addition to government funding) towards rejuvenation of the waterbodies. 

“The restoration would include strengthening of the bunds, a rainwater harvesting structure, connection to the storm water drain network to handle excess flow of water during rains and stop the inflow of sewage,” the official said.

The corporation’s first waterbody restoration project to get the official nod was the restoration of the 36.5-acre Villivakkam Lake at a cost of Rs 16 crore, which will soon be tendered out. Environmentalist Arun Krishnamurthy said that this is an example of collaboration conservative work, where science, governance and community teams up to revive and restore freshwater habitats. 

“This is for the effective use money, manpower and time. Realistically, 30-35 waterbodies can be restored in a year and this is a good opportunity for the community to come forward and take ownership of the waterbody in their locality,” said the Founder of Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI).