The Thalambur Keni Pond which is located in the South of Chennai is being restored by Environmentalist Foundation of India starting the 28th of December 2018.
With an area of around 3,200 square meters, it is a minor Pond. Directly adjacent to a highly developed area, this pond looked very chaotic and more like a jungle than a pond. With a water area full of hyacinths and other invasive species around the waterbody the native plants were pushed out of the habitat. The water was in bad condition because water hyacinth is a plant which covers the whole water area, consumes dissolved oxygen and doesn’t allow sunshine through to the depth of the waterbody. The high bio-oxygenation demand results in the loss of life in this Pond.
It was no eye-catcher for the local people and nothing to be proud of. We are changing this because every waterbody is worth the effort to be brought back to the pristine beauty. This Pond needed a refreshing start to thrive, attract animals and become a waterbody worth being proud of again.
The first step of this process was the removal of the invasive plants and the clearance of the jungle to make space for the excavator to start de-silting and deepening the pond. The plan was to build a 4-step pond with a water area in the core and quadruple bunding forming the steps up to the edge of the waterbody. The work is presently underway and the jungle of invasive species has been removed. The water pit is being formed and will be deepened more.
On Sunday the 6th of January, we ran a Wall-E Awareness Painting Activity in which 100 volunteers took part and painted many beautiful pictures on the topic of Water Conservation. While we were running this activity, some volunteers also started to do their own cleanup activity and collected waste from around the pond to make the pond clean again. It was heartening for us to see the enthusiasm from volunteers who were willing to do a lot for a pond like this. (Pictures in the slideshow below)
We thank our committed volunteers for showing us that the work we are doing can, and will be, taken over by likeminded people sharing the same vision for the environment as us.
The work is in progress and there is still plenty to be done.
Join us for events, and Volunteer for India & her Environment with E.F.I, Jai Hind
Lakes of India 
Great work team!
There is another water body ‘ Subramanya Lake’ near Subramanya Swami Temple, Classic Farms Avenue, Sholinganallur. It is a lovely lake in a pleasant residential area, but is covered by water hyacinths. I wish it could be restored to its glory. Please check it out. I am sure you will get plenty of volunteers and sponsors in that area.
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