Chennai: Greater Chennai Corporation signboards warn of police action against anyone bathing in the ponds at Semmancheri. Residents say the warning is hardly necessary as no one would choose to enter the pond, given the thick growth of water hyacinth, dense vegetation and garbage choking it.The area, located along the corporation’s periphery, has around seven ponds across wards 199 and 200. When TOI visited them on Tuesday, poor upkeep was evident in at least four sites. In the pond at Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, lush green hyacinth covered the water surface, with liquor bottles popping up sporadically. “It has been years since anyone has come to look at the pond. It has become a spot for tipplers to hang out late at night. Mosquito menace is also high due to such unclean waterbodies,” said Sivabalan Karthi, a resident of Rajiv Gandhi Nagar. At Veeravanchinathan Salai, plastic bottles were littered around the waterbody.A few ponds, however, were well maintained after restoration. At Thalli, for instance, water lilies had been planted and shrubs grown around the periphery of the pond to make it more visually appealing. Yet, some restored ponds, such as the one at Purakulam, had liquor bottles scattered across the premises.A corporation engineer said restorations had been carried out with the help of independent agencies. “Work at the Rajiv Gandhi Nagar pond is on hold as the land is under the control of Tamil Nadu Salt Corporation. As for the other ponds, litter will be removed at the earliest. We have identified the waterbodies and will take steps to maintain them. The sanitary inspector will be informed to ensure that no garbage is dumped,” he said.Councillor A Murugesan did not respond to calls. Zonal officer G Lokeshwaran said assistant engineers have been instructed to inspect temple ponds and other waterbodies under their control at least once a week and ensure they were cleaned. “We will ensure that all ponds are cleaned within this week, and ensure round-the-clock monitoring,” he added.
