Generous donors,

We're ecstatic to inform you that with your help, EFI and The Better India have been able to restore both the Thiruvairmur Pond in Nagapattinam District and the Chellaperumal Nagar Pond in the Kanchipuram District of Tamil Nadu.

Nagapattinam was the worst-hit regions of the drought and its revival augurs well for the for the rural farming community residing there. The second pond located in the Kanchipuram district has helped its peri-urban community of 24,000 residents.

Based on public interest and local volunteering support, E.F.I took on the task of reviving this water body.

Steps involved in restoration:
1. To clean up the trash dump from the pond
2. To deepen the pond by excavating excess silt deposited in the pond
3. To establish and strengthen the bunds of the pond
4. To regulate the inlet and outlet of the pond
5. To establish a rainwater harvesting central pit with leading trenches to ensure improved
water conservation.

• Name of Activity: Chella Perumal Nagar pond restoration
• Location: Sriperumbudur
• Restoration type: Scientific restoration of the pond.
Specifications:
• Water quality: Good
• Purpose of the pond: Drinking water, groundwater recharge, and irrigational usages.
• Catchment: Rainwater.

The deepened, bund strengthened pond is prepared for the North East monsoons and is expected to have an increase storage facility by 18 to 22%. This will have a positive impact on the groundwater, temperature regulation and would prevent water-borne diseases. The effort to restore the water body is to continue with sustained community engagement to guard the pond.

Nature of the work
1. Garbage removal; De-weeding to increase water percolation
2. Contour Desilting to increase the water holding capacity of the lake.
3. Bund Formation and Bund Strengthening to keep the water levels intact and  clearly demarcating the boundary of the water

Thank you for all the support. 

Dear Supporters,

After successfully restoring the first pond in Nagapattinam, we identified Chellaperumal Nagar pond, a few kilometers from Sriperumbudur - a pond which has been long neglected. In spite of having been located in a suburban Tamil Nadu. Rapid urbanization and unplanned development have ensured a poor water management paving way for one or the other water calamity year after year. There is an urgent need for mass sensitization in the field of water conservation and immediate field-based efforts to revive freshwater habitats to prevent future calamities.

Once a deep and lush drinking water source, the pond over the years, has become a cesspool of suburban sewage and exploitation. Based on public interest and local volunteering support, EFI, supported by The Better India, took on the task of reviving this water body. With administrative permissions from the Kanchipuram District management and voluntary participation from local citizens, the pond has been restored over the last 45 days.

The deepened, bund strengthened pond is prepared for the North East monsoons and is expected to have an increase storage facility by 18 to 22%. This will have a positive impact on the groundwater, temperature regulation and would prevent water-borne diseases. The effort to restore the water body is to continue with sustained community engagement to guard the pond.

A huge vote of thanks to everyone who contributed to this campaign a reality. It is you who have thus made a better India.

Thank you all for your donations. EFI has already finished its work in the first pond and thus we are closing the fundraiser now. EFI will continue working on the ground until they restore the ponds completely.

Your generosity will go a long way in helping Nagapattinam's farmers. You can read all about the campaign's impact here:
http://www.reuters.com/article/india-climatechange-funding-idUSL5N1EV0H4