The harvest festival of Pongal/ Sankranti is celebrated with much grandeur. The joy of reaping benefits from hard work is beyond any description. Every year Pongal is celebrated around a certain theme by different communities. In the modern era with changing patterns of celebration, there is much innovation with regards to this. Residents of Chennai’s IT sector on the Old Mahabalipuram Road decided to celebrate their Pongal early and that too with nature. The every day commute, long hours in confined spaces and a routine was all to be overcome through one activity. An activity that would also benefit them in the long run. Brain storming on these lines, the residents commonly agreed on the thought of engaging with nature and giving back to the planet. The ideas ranged from planting saplings to adopting stray animals and more. Finally it was pointed out that in a rain deficient year, probably the focus should be on water.
The minute water was mentioned, ideas flooded the room ranging from adopting the Buckingham canal that runs close to their homes or of cleaning the ponds surrounding their buildings. It was decided that they would start small and expand their efforts. The Pongal at Pond concept was coined and the excitement in the air reached new heights. The Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI) known for scientifically restoring over 89 water bodies across 12 states in the country over the last 11 years joined the bandwagon as the executing partner for this. The volunteers gathered in large numbers to clean the Egatoor Pond of all its trash and dumped construction debris. Volunteers across ages and all social parameters joined hands to clean up the pond. The three-hour-long activity witnessed positive energy sky rocketing.
Non-bio-degradable polythene and other harmful trash was removed from the pond manually. Following which, earth-moving heavy machinery was deployed to deepen the pond, strengthen its bunds and regulate the inflow-outflow canals to the pond. Work that is expected to take 40-45 days to complete had its grand inauguration through active volunteering efforts from several nation builders. The Egatoor Pond is expected to ecologically restored by EFI through a collaborative conservation effort. A model that is fast catching up across South Asia.
The water security and sustainability will be a reality only when such citizen participation is guaranteed. Technology and monetary investments would give immediate results but people participation is the key to conservation.
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