Total redemption seems nigh at hand for a tank in Valasaravakkam, near the Kesavardhini bus-stop. Zone 11 of Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is restoring it for a month now, and a GCC official says the work would be completed in another two months. The tank, found near a temple, is now being deepened up to 20 feet.
The existing stormwater drains of the tank will give way to bigger drains, four feet wide and eight feet deep.
Rainwater is expected to flow via a key water channel on Alwarthirunagar Main Road and enter the tank.
Further, the side wall of the tank will be strengthened. A tiled walkway will also be built around it. The waterbody will have a steel three-metre-high fence to prevent visitors, especially children, from falling into it. LED lights and concrete seating arrangements are also part of the project. Staircases will be rebuilt. “Once the tank is restored, it will be new place of leisure for residents,” says V. Shanmugam, a resident of Valasaravakkam.
The 40-feet deep rain-fed tank is said to have been built a century ago along with the temple. The tank has select entrances meant for the performance of rituals.
Prior to the commencement of the restoration work, the tank was a haven for miscreants. It was also misused for dumping garbage. Further, it was overrun with vegetation.