Storm water drains (SWD) as we all know which are currently in use aren’t efficient enough when it comes to moderate – heavy rainfalls. Though it might be a great source of passing the water in certain areas but not something that solves the real problem of waterlogging.
Few streets in T-nagar, one of the busiest areas in Chennai now have an alternate source of handing storm water in the form of Recharge wells. (A well kind of structure on one side of the road that is used to store storm water)
An initiative from the residents along with SWARAN (Save Water And Recharge Aquifers Network) have come up with the proposal of constructing recharge wells which serves the purpose in a much better way.
N. Ramshankar, SWARAN’s founder and coordinator, said recharge wells are ideal for recharging groundwater and minimising waterlogging.
“We must have more such structures along city roads and incorporate them in the existing SWD (stormwater drain) network. Instead of draining the floodwater into the sea through SWD, the civic body must come up with an action plan to construct recharge wells and a smaller network to drain excess water if needed,” he added. Representatives of residents welfare associations in RA Puram, T. Nagar, Mylapore and Thiruvanmiyur along with SWARAN submitted a proposal spelling out design specifications and advantages of recharge wells to Corporation officials.
There is a definite need to bring such recharge wells in future if only we are looking at minimising the loss a heavy rain can incur.
Content Source: The Hindu
A recharge well measuring 3 meters in diameter and 15 feet in depth will store a minimum of 3,000 litres of rainwater. If it is stored in a structured way, it can be put to good use when there is a shortage of water.
Drawing lessons from my own experiences when I used to be a resident of Chennai, it is evident that drainage systems in Chennai are ages old and needs an immediate upgrade. The city floods whenever it rains shows how bad the system is.
Creating awareness among public on this front is equally important. Without a public participation, it only gets haywire for the officials to handle.
Building recharge wells whenever and wherever required should be an ongoing project so that it helps the neighbourhood during crunch times. A typical summer without water stress is hard to surpass.
