The Mandapam Kuttai Pond at Balaji Nagar on Sivaprakasam Main Road in Velachery, Chennai wears a new look now. It has been restored by Chennai- based real-estate developer, DRA Homes with the support of Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) and Environmental Foundation of India (EFI), an organization that works in the field of water body conservation. EFI was the technical NGO that steered the restoration work.

DRA Homes – Mandapam Kuttai

“We took up this exercise with the consent of the Greater Chennai Corporation in the first week of June. The work is almost complete. The area of the Pond is 1.1 acre and has a depth of eight to nine feet. It’s water holding capacity is 8000 m3. Earlier, it was misused for dumping garbage and all kinds of trash. It was overrun with the aquatic plants. Now, as part of the restoration, the pond has been de-silted and its bunds have been strengthened. Vettiver grass and Saplings of neem and Ashoka trees have been planted to prevent soil erosion at the bund. A Walkway has also been created around the pond. We have also fenced it to prevent people from throwing garbage into it. The walls around the pond are being painted with the messages on Environment Conservation, To Ensure that the restored pond is maintained well, we need the support and cooperation from the local residents. This, we seek to accomplish by organizing some events at the pond once in three months, so that gradually the local community will develop a sense of belongingness for the pond and take up responsibility for its upkeep. As of now, a  few private educational institutions in the locality have come forward to organize regular clean-up drives at the pond which was sign of encouragement for us,” says Ranjeeth Rathod – Managing Director, DRA Homes.