Chennai will soon get a master drainage plan to mitigate flooding and regulate the construction of buildings. The authorities may take the land pooling route to secure private land required to allow water to drain during floods.
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“Many people have purchased land in the suburbs. If these lands are part of the natural drainage network, they should be conserved by the government by compensating the landowners. Once the master drainage plan is ready, the lands will be secured by the government and delineated,” said an official.
Pointing to the difference in “urban planning for flood mitigation” between the Second Master Plan in 2008 for Chennai Metropolitan Area and the Third Master Plan 2026, officials said new alternatives would be implemented to secure land that forms part of the natural drainage in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Chengalpattu districts after the new plan was notified.
Planning approval for buildings will be issued in accordance with the master drainage plan in the four basins of the Cooum, the Adyar, the Kosasthalaiyar and the Kovalam, the official said. “We will conserve the natural drainage, taking possession of the private lands, particularly on floodplains through alternative methods. We have lost flood plains such as Kotturpuram and Jafferkhanpet to unplanned development. So, the damage caused to the property of residents in such areas of the city is high during floods. The new urban development in the city will be based on the master drainage plan,” said the official.