Once filled with silt and hyacinth, pond in Chauganpur village now thriving

Both ponds have been revived and restored over a period of 12 months, with the help of locals, stakeholders, and NGOs

Two ponds in Chauganpur village and police lines in Greater Noida, choking on silt and an invasive layer of hyacinth until a few years ago, has been fully revived with the help of locals, NGOs and the HCLFoundation, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of HCLTech, and is now thriving, said officials of the foundation.

The two ponds, measuring over 10,000 square metres, were reeling under encroachments and a dense layer of silt that had accumulated over the years resulting in reduced capacity to retain water. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

The two ponds, measuring over 10,000 square metres, were reeling under encroachments and a dense layer of silt that had accumulated over the years, resulting in reduced capacity to retain water. They were both revived and restored over a period of 12 months, with the help of locals, stakeholders, and NGOs, said HCL Foundation officials.

The foundation developed the two ponds under its Harit initiative (green Initiative), a flagship programme to conserve nature and to respond to climate change in sustainable manner through community engagement, said an HCLFoundation spokesperson.

The spokesperson said Chaughanpur pond, measuring 10,370 square metres, has been rejuvenated and has a water holding capacity of 24,888 cubic metres. It is free from invasive hyacinth and surrounded by native species of flora.

Even migratory birds have returned to the pond and were spotted roosting on a small island developed in the centre of the pond. Among the migratory birds spotted at the waterbody were spot-billed duck, red-naped ibis, black-winged stilt, little grebe, and bar-headed goose.

There was a lack of management that resulted in gradual encroachment at the pond site and catchment areas. The waterbody was of no significance and the place was being used to dump garbage. This had deteriorated the water quality. The situation improved post Covid-19 when its renovation was taken up and it has been thriving since,” said Anuj Kumar, a resident of Chauganpur, Greater Noida.

The pond at police lines, measuring 13,100 square metres, now has a water holding capacity of 27,510 cubic metres. This pond is also thriving and has an island in the middle, similar to Chauganpur pond. The pond too had been reeling under encroachments in catchment area and dense silt accumulation, deteriorating the water quality, and disrupting the natural ecosystem.

“The revival work was a long process that was carried out in phased manner. It took around 12 months to complete the basic infrastructure work starting with laying down the foundational infrastructure. External factors that impact the waterbody ecosystem such as pollution runoff, habitat loss, and invasive species encroachment, among others, were addressed,” said Dr Nidhi Pundhir, director, HCLFoundation.

The two ponds were rejuvenated with the help of machines and labourers while three to four people remained deputed at the site for monitoring the work. There are two people deputed currently for maintenance related works at the pond sites.

As many as 82 water bodies measuring 238 acres within Gautam Budh Nagar have been rejuvenated since 2020 by HCLFoundation, its officials said.