COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) on Friday convened a meeting with social activists, environmentalists and members of various NGOs to discuss ways to protect water bodies in the city. CCMC Commissioner M Sivaguru Prabakaran presided over the meeting. A presentation was made by officials on the current condition of the water bodies and the progress in conservation efforts.
Speaking to TNIE, Chinnavedampatti Lake Pathukappu Amaipu’s coordinator and Kowshika Neer Karangal Trust’s secretary S Sivaraja said, “As a preliminary measure, boundary marking and checking the water channels to remove encroachments and any other blockages in the channels that bring water to the water bodies were discussed. Also, the STP’s functioning and new ones that need to be set up in the water bodies were debated.”
Sivaraja further said that the civic body along with the help of the activists and NGOs is set to develop a model lake in which one water body in the city would be chosen for complete clean-up and rejuvenation. The methods followed in the model lake will be replicated in other lakes later.
“Although various aspects were discussed, there was no talk about whether the disaster management plan for the city is ready. Thadagam and Noyyal regions are in the cloud burst zones. So, we need to ensure that the water bodies in Coimbatore are ready to tap the excessive rainwater in case of very heavy rain,” he added.