Nearly two years after floods wreaked havoc in Chennai, the Water Resources Department is chalking out a master plan to restore water bodies and channels in Kancheepuram district. Inadequate storage capacity and encroachments along supply channels of these waterbodies led to flooding in many of these areas.
There are over 2,100 tanks, including those under local bodies, in Kancheepuram district. The WRD is now drawing up a project to take up various kinds of restoration works worth ₹1,200 crore in the major waterbodies in Chennai Metropolitan Area.
“We plan to improve 18 major lakes in CMA and also identify missing links between the network of lakes that led to inundation. As existing portions of surplus courses have vanished due to urbanisation, the entire volume of flood water is not transmitted to lakes, inundating the neighbouring localities,” said an official.
The master plan has devised projects with three main objectives — flood water conservation, restoration of lakes and flood protection.
Of the 90 tanks in CMA, a total of 18 lakes, including those at Narayanapuram, Sembakkam, Selaiyur, Ottiyambakkam, Madipakkam and Nanmangalam, would be desilted during the first phase. “We want to harvest the floods and improve the storage capacity in the tanks. Desilting below sill level will help additional storage in the sub-surface of the tanks. With these projects, we expect storage of at least six million cubic feet to be added in these tanks,” said the official.
Residents welcome move
Welcoming the initiative, residents noted that clearing encroachments is the key issue in restoration of the waterbodies. P. Viswanathan, co-ordinator, Chitlapakkam Residents Associations Coordination Committee, said encroachments must be removed from Selaiyur and Sembakkam lakes to ensure complete rejuvenation of the waterbodies.
Residents like V. Sridharan of Ottiyampakkam also noted that strengthening the bund of lakes in Sithalapakkam and Ottiyampakkam would not only add storage but also minimise inundation in residential colonies.
The department is also in the process of identifying missing links in water courses that carry flood water from one lake to another. For instance, nearly 21 missing links have been identified in channels that carry surplus among the network of 32 lakes draining into Pallikaranai marshland. To avoid land acquisition, straight cut channels along roads would be built to fill the gaps in water courses.
A detailed project report is being prepared to build a channel along the service lane of Chennai Bypass near Mudichur as there is no proper channel from Mudichur and Irumbuliyur lakes, said the official.
Various projects would soon start with funding under Nabard and Iamwarm. Nearly 40% of the work to widen a portion of the Adyar river has been completed. “We want to construct a retaining wall along the river as it would give additional space to carry floodwater. It is an eight-year project. The component to desilt tanks will take off in three months,” the official added.
Timely completion
Meanwhile, residents and experts want the project to be implemented on time. While Jayshree Vencatesan, managing trustee of Care Earth Trust, appreciated the initiative, she said if executed as per plan, it would be a foolproof mechanism to address natural disasters and provide hydrological security to suburbs.
Activists like V. Subramani of Sabari Green Foundation suggest that the government must allow removal of ‘savudu’ soil in some of the urban lakes too and recharge structures must be built in lakes for ground water recharge.
( With additional reporting by T. Madhavan )
