The Coimbatore Corporation has drawn up plans to rejuvenate the Sundakkamuthur pond, a 7.25-acre water body located on the western edge of the city near the Madukkarai forest range. The initiative aims to restore the pond’s capacity to store rainwater and contribute to groundwater recharge in the surrounding areas.
According to Corporation sources, the pond, located in Ward 89, has not reached its full capacity for the past 20 years. The primary source of inflow is rainwater collected from the nearby hilly terrain. In earlier years, this seasonal runoff flowed through surrounding open lands and filled the pond during the monsoon.
M. Thirumoorthy, a resident of Sundakkamuthur, said that when the pond held water, it improved the groundwater table in the area. “It benefited both borewells and open wells. Now, borewell depths have gone down to a minimum of 800 feet,” he said.
A Corporation official said that over the years, open lands that once allowed natural rainwater flow into the Sundakkamuthur pond have been converted into housing plots. The construction of houses and roads has disrupted this flow, preventing rainwater from reaching the pond and leaving it dry for the past two decades.
As part of the proposal, a sump will be constructed on Corporation land near the canal that carries surplus water from the Sengulam tank in Kuniyamuthur, maintained by the Public Works Department. A motor and a pipeline, approximately one km in length, will be installed to pump water from the sump into the Sundakkamuthur pond, the official said.
The proposal also includes the construction of a walking track along the pond bund, along with strengthening of the bund. The total cost of the project is estimated at ₹2.41 crore, and the proposal has been submitted to the State government for approval, the official added.
Published - April 09, 2025 08:08 pm IST
