Cognizant and Grundfos join hands to restore Chennai’s Sembakkam Lake
US-based digital products & IT services major Cognizant and Danish pumps maker Grundfos have recently announced funding support for the restoration of the Sembakkam Lake in Chennai.
As part of the agreement, Cognizant had said it would contribute Rs 2.7 crore while Grundfos would contribute Rs 1.7 crore and up to Rs 750,000 in kind for civil works, wastewater treatment, and landscaping to rejuvenate the 100-acre lake that flows into the Pallikaranai wetland, one of south India’s last remaining natural marshlands.
The two companies said they will collaborate with the India chapter of The Nature Conservancy, one of the world’s largest conservation organisations, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, and Chennai-based Care Earth Trust, a non-governmental organization that works in the area of biodiversity conservation.
The project involves cleaning the inlets and outlets, improving the lake’s connectivity with upstream and downstream water bodies, building an eco-friendly wastewater treatment system and constructing walkways and green buffer zones along the lake. It is expected to be completed in 2021.
The project will also help clear the lake of solid wastes, silt and invasive plant species while improving the lake’s storage capacity by 50 per cent, enhance groundwater recharge and improve water quality.
It will benefit over 10,000 households living around the lake and conserve the local biodiversity consisting of around 180 plant species (including 11 aquatic species) and more than 65 bird species. It also aims to provide a natural recreational space to the local community and involve them in maintenance of the water body.
“…By restoring this lake, we are not only strengthening its ecosystem, but also the connection between people and nature by providing a platform to connect them with the waterbody and its habitat”, said Grundfos Group’s Executive Vice President (CSO) Poul Due Jensen.
