Soon, Cooum river will get a makeover with the Water Resources Department (WRD) gearing up to desilt and improve portions of it simultaneously.
As part of the Integrated Cooum River Eco-Restoration Plan, the department is finalising bids to dredge and strengthen the bund of the river at a cost of Rs.41 crore. Some of the stretches that would be immediately taken up for improvement are between Padikuppam near Anna Nagar, Vanagaram and Paruthipattu near Avadi.
Of the 28-km-long stretch of the river running outside Chennai limits, work will soon begin on a 11.4-km portion of the waterway. Similarly, work will be initially taken up for a distance of 5 km downstream of Chetpet bridge inside the city limits.
It may be recalled that the State government had sanctioned Rs. 604.77 crore to implement over 60 short-term projects to improve the highly-polluted waterway earlier this year. The project is spearheaded by the Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust.
Encroachments along the banks are also proving to be a challenge for the WRD that is preparing to rejuvenate the waterway. Officials of the WRD said six departments are co-ordinating to plug these sewage outfalls.
Water Resources Department also plans to restart biometric survey in a few days. A total of 14,300 families were identified to be resettled in tenements at Perumbakkam and Ezhil Nagar. “We are also planning to build walls near causeways and fence vulnerable portions to prevent dumping of garbage and sewage,” said an official.
Meanwhile, Chennai Metrowater is also constructing sewage pumping stations and mini-treatment plants to prevent entry of sewage into the river. At Triplicane, three pumping stations, including in Parthasarathi Street, will be ready in a month’s time.
