VMC to redevelop 14 ponds in city

VADODARA: Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) will take up work of sprucing up 14 ponds in the city. Most of these ponds are in a sorry state and need desperate attention with repeated attempt so far failing. The city has a string of ponds which have historically been seen as its unique feature. But apathy over the years has ensured that 13 such ponds have disappear from the face of the city even as others got polluted. The VMC administration has now identified 14 ponds that it will develop over a period of time. Officials said that the public-private partnership mode would be examined for the purpose. An executive engineer of the civic body has been given the responsibility of sprucing up the ponds. The ponds that have been selected for development include Harni pond, Bapod pond, Gorwa pond, Kamlanagar pond, Chhani pond, Siddhnath pond, Danteshwar pond, Motnath pond, the pond behind Sardar School, Gotri pond, Sama pond, Maghadev pond, Tarsali pond as well as Sursagar. VMC officials said the priority would be to ensure that the pollution of these ponds by sewage as well as garbage dumping from those staying or doing business on the embankments of the ponds is stopped. The civic body is also considering removing encroachments on the embankments of the ponds. The possibility of deepening the pond and making better arrangements for their replenishment with rain water is also being examined by the civic body. At a later stage, the civic body will also look at providing recreational facilities wherever possible. Officials said the civic body has already floated tenders and is in the process of identifying an agency that can employ bioremediation and other techniques to reduce pollution in the ponds.

Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vadodara/VMC-to-redevelop-14-ponds-in-city/articleshow/20839134.cms