Water Shortage Turns Green Parks Into Dry Patches

Residents also point to the poor upkeep of public facilities, lack of security for women and children and unhygienic surroundings

- Vivek Narayanan

Lush green grass, flowers, swings, benches — these are the images that most commonly conjure up when one talks about a public garden. Sadly, in Chennai, most of them, are found dry due to water shortage. Residents claim there is a lot that needs to be improved when it comes to safety and cleanliness of the parks.

There are 632 parks in the city and the smallest one measures close to 700 square meters and the biggest is close to 5,000 square meters. There are a couple of them, like the Anna Nagar Tower Park, that is spread across acres.

“The park on Turn Bulls Road, Kotturpuram, was previously lush green. Now it has become dry, thanks to improper maintenance. The trees are not trimmed properly. Since there is no grass in the children’s play area, kids get injured on falling down,” said M. Keerthana, a resident of Nandanam who visits the park on weekends.

The condition of Sir Thyagaraya Park on T.H. Road in Washermanpet is no different. Dry grass and broken play equipment greet the visitors.