Mamallapuram or Mahabalipuram is a UNESCO world heritage site, a century’s old town know for it Pallava sculptures and architecture. This Shore temple town located not very far from Chennai is also home to several fresh water bodies.
The Konneri tank in Mahabalipuram situated right behind the Krishna’s butter ball complex was take up for an eco restoration to commemorate the historic India-China Summit 2019, between the His Excellency the Honorable Prime Minister of India Shri. Narendra Modi and His excellency the Honorable President of China Shri. Xi JinPing. This also happened to be E.F.I’s 100th Restoration project.
‘Ko’ translates to cow in Tamil, ‘Eri’ to Lake, The Konneri tank is named so as it resembles a sitting cow. The Konneri tank under went an eco-restoration to ensure its becomes an important water storage for the 18,000-20,000 resident who live around the lake’s vicinity. This lake has not been renovated in the last 4 decades hence making this restoration extremely crucial.
Salient features of the restoration:
- Deweeding to remove invasive plants
- Desilting across the contour to increase water storage capacity by 45%
- Bund Strengthening to ensure strong embankments
- ‘G’ Shaped nesting islands
- Percolation trenches
- Recharge wells
- Protective fencing
Watch the transformation of the Konneri Tank here:
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