Residents of southern suburbs along the IT Expressway want Okkiyam Maduvu, a major water channel that drains into the South Buckingham canal, be improved and funds allocated for periodic maintenance.
While the prolonged dry weather has spelt trouble for many waterbodies and waterwayss around the city, Okkiyam Maduvu, the 2.8-km channel, still has a minimum of three feet of water. But, the channel is covered with hyacinth and slowly turning into a space for dumping garbage, residents complain.
The channel that collects floodwater from several neighbouring localities such as Pallikaranai, Madipakkam, Velachery and Perumbakkam runs through Thoraipakkam and drains into the South Buckingham canal.
Residents of Thoraipakkam said the water channel continues to be an important source of groundwater recharge in the neighbourhood.
The water channel serves to be a source of livelihood for several people involved in inland fishing in some portions of the channel even now.
M. Krithika of Chandrasekara Avenue, Thoraipakkam, said several small ponds and community wells have already vanished following rapid urbanisation. Steps should be taken to save the remaining water resources. Moreover, the culvert beneath the Karapakkam bridge must be cleaned for better flow of water in the channel.
Residents recalled that it would take only three hours to dig a shallow well in the vicinity of Okkiyam Maduvu until a few decades ago. Susetha Kumaradev, a resident of Raju Nagar, said the number of waterbodies has decreased drastically in the recent decade in Thoraipakkam.
Many small ponds in Periakulam in Nehru Nagar are left neglected. “Fish catch from Okkiyam Maduvu used to be auctioned a few decades ago and the channel served irrigation needs too. The water table here is at a depth of about 30 feet even now because of water availability in the channel,” she said. Sources in the Water Resources Department said the water channel was being cleaned periodically under various projects. Steps would be taken to clear vegetation in Okkiyam Maduvu soon, they said.
