The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) is planning to develop sponge parks at Chennai Corporation Park in Thoraipakkam and Elango Nagar playground in Padi at a total cost of ₹9.45 crore to manage rainwater, recharge groundwater, and reduce flooding.

This plan follows the Tamil Nadu Budget for 2025–26, in which Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu announced that seven climate-resilient sponge parks would be established across the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) at an estimated cost of ₹88 crore.

The identified sites at Thoraipakkam and Padi fall under the Greater Chennai Corporation. Necessary administrative approvals were obtained to enable CMDA to take up the work, officials said.

The existing structure of the parks would be retrofitted under the sponge park model. Each sponge park will include a central pond-like structure about three feet deep, designed to store rainwater collected through an underground pipe network.

Once the surrounding groundwater table reaches saturation, excess rainwater will be directed into the stormwater drainage system. The sponge parks are useful in urban areas experiencing groundwater depletion and can contribute to long-term water resilience and climate adaptation in the city, the officials said.