Cooum to get 4.5 lakh saplings for eco-restoration, flood mitigation

At least 25 km of the riverbank will get walkways, says official

Green drive: The project will cover the stretch from Napier Bridge to Paruthipattu.

Flood preparedness is set to improve in residential areas along the Cooum banks, with the start of riverine plantation this week.

Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust will plant 4.53 lakh saplings of 108 species along the 30-km stretch from Napier Bridge to Paruthipattu. “We will plant the saplings along a five-metre-wide stretch on either side of the river. At least 25 km of the riverbank will get walkways,” says an official.

Residents expected nature trails along the river in areas such as College Road, Nungambakkam. For this project, the Bus Route Road Department of the Chennai Corporation had prepared a project report after senior officials visited San Antonio, U.S., 10 years ago.

But officials are unlikely to focus on the project now. Instead, saplings will be planted along the entire stretch of the river, tweaking the eco-restoration project to suit the flood preparedness of each residential area, says an official.

According to the revised plan, the residents are not likely to be permitted to have a morning walk after the infrastructure is developed. A decision will be made only after the eco-restoration is completed, says an official.

Corporation officials say the construction of the wall has resumed after the COVID-19 restrictions were eased.