Kovalam teams up with NGOs to restore ponds and boost groundwater recharge

In its effort to recharge groundwater and curb seawater intrusion, Kovalam panchayat has partnered with voluntary organisations to reconstruct ponds successful the locality, which are successful dire request of attention.

With the deficiency of capable freshwater sources, Kovalam is babelike connected h2o proviso from neighbouring areas. The panchayat authorities person initiated projects to rejuvenate ponds arsenic a measurement to propulsion backmost seawater intrusion and reconstruct freshwater balance.

Residents similar M. Gandhimathi of Kovalam noted that drinking h2o proviso has improved successful caller years. “We get h2o erstwhile successful 2 days. But the h2o prime successful borewells is saline,” she said.

R. Narayanan, a civic activist, said rejuvenating ponds was important to amended the groundwater prime successful Kovalam, which is susceptible to seawater intrusion. While h2o was disposable astatine a extent of 20-30 feet, prime remains mediocre successful astir wells. The agelong of Buckingham canal besides needs to beryllium improved.

Chetty kulam pond is 1 of the h2o bodies that was erstwhile freshwater sources and aboriginal fell into neglect. The pond was precocious revived done efforts on with Environmentalist Foundation of India nether the ‘Blue-Green Kovalam’ initiative. Most of the ponds taken up for restoration are dispersed implicit 1 to 3 acre and were choked with silt, coagulated waste, and weeds.

Kovalam panchayat president Shobana Thangam Sundar said the collaborative efforts with voluntary organisations similar EFI and Eco Society India was important to amended the ponds arsenic sources of groundwater recharge. “We present trust connected drinking h2o projects from different areas similar Thaiyur. Measures are successful advancement to get h2o done multi-village h2o proviso schemes. Restoring ponds is important to forestall seawater incursion. We program to instrumentality tourism activities successful Chettykulam and Dargah kulam ponds,” she said.

EFI is progressive successful restoring six h2o bodies, including Konathangal, Sivankoil Kulam, and Nachiyarkulam successful Kovalam and 7 much successful Padur and Kelambakkam. The works see clearing of silt for astir 1 metre, strengthening of banks, fencing, plantations, and summation of peripheral recharge wells. “We focussed connected retention regularisation than retention summation due to the fact that of the fragile ecosystem and proximity to the sea. In immoderate ponds, we created infrastructure similar unfastened canals, sedimentation tanks, and canna works beds to redirect/treat sewage. Conserving specified micro-hydro habitats assistance prolong the section ecosystem,” said Arun Krishnamurthy, EFI’s founder.

Groundwater prime successful galore of these ponds located successful residential pockets would amended aft a fewer bully monsoon years, helium added.