KMC sets target of renovating 2,500 clogged ponds across city

Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is adopting a changed approach in renovation of dirty ponds across the city. There are around 3,500 clogged ponds spreading across 144 wards of the civic body that are in need of thorough cleaning of its water and the civic body has taken up a target to clean up 2,500 such ponds.

"A considerable amount of money has been drained out from the KMC exchequer due to the method that was adopted for renovation. After renovation, the Program Management Unit (PMU) department of the KMC carried out beautification of the ponds. Now, we are just extracting the filth from the pond be it water hyacinth, plastic or any other rubbish and are then taking the necessary steps to clean the water. We are not going for any beautification. The main aim of the renovation is to ensure that the water in the ponds remain fresh for a long duration," a senior official of the Environment & Heritage department of KMC said.

According to Director General (Environment & Heritage) Debasish Chakraborty, water hyacinth mats lower dissolved oxygen concentrations, prevents adequate penetration of sunrays and damages fish population. It also provides ideal breeding environments for mosquitoes.

Work has already started in Borough X and as per the list available with KMC, there are more than 30 such ponds in Borough XI and XII that are in urgent need of a facelift. Borough I and XIV also have a good number of ponds.

There are ponds in each of the 16 boroughs and the councillors have been asked to submit a list of dirty ponds in their respective wards that are in need of a facelift. KMC has also floated tender for taking up pisciculture in a number of ponds that have already witnessed a facelift. The local clubs have also taken up fish farming in some ponds that have been renovated by KMC.