The Water Resources Department has desilted and widened a 9-km stretch of the Cooum river between Chetpet and Napier bridge to increase the flood-carrying capacity.
In the last few weeks, 12 machines were engaged in desilting, removing vegetation and raising the bund in the stretch. The portion of the waterway along places such as College Road and Ethiraj Road has almost been desilted, officials said.
“We are raising the height of the bund up to 3-4m in this portion using earth removed from the river. Once the exercise is completed, the waterway’s capacity to carry flood water will be enhanced to 26,000 cubic feet per second,” said an official.
The river is now nearly 80-150m wide in the stretch in which encroachments have to be removed only for about 600m. About 200-300 structures remain to be cleared.
According to officials, nearly 50% of the work to widen the river and form the bund has been completed. The work is being taken up as part of the Cooum River Eco-restoration Project.
Nod for STPs
Though the stretch between Chetpet and Napier bridge has had some improvements in the last few weeks, plugging of sewage outfalls and treatment of raw sewage entering the waterway would ensure a cleaner river. The Department has given its nod for setting up modular sewage treatment plants (STPs), according to sources in the WRD.
Dumping the debris
The Department has also sought permission from the Greater Chennai Corporation to dump the debris and waste collected from the river in the Kodungaiyur dumpyard. Nearly 500 loads of waste, including thermocol and plastic, is estimated to be removed from areas such as Pudupet and Chintadripet, where encroachments were cleared.
Completion of the project would facilitate work by other government departments for creating parks, cycle tracks and choosing sites for plantations, said an official. Clearing of encroachments in the stretch between Chetpet and Koyambedu was proving to be a challenge due to court cases, he added.
