The Chennai Corporation will start collecting trash at 248 locations along the city’s waterways by installing facilities to arrest trash flow into them.
“All spots where stormwater drains join the major waterways will get trash arresters. Waste will not enter the rivers,” said an official.
As many as 224 outfalls along the Buckingham Canal and the Cooum river have been identified by the Corporation for installation of the structures. The Adyar river has 22 outfalls. In addition to 14 trash booms in Cooum river, one in the Virugambakkam canal and two in the Mambalam canal, the civic body will identify spots to remove municipal solid waste from the river.
“Experts will explore options for abatement of pollution in the Buckingham canal, the Cooum river and the Adyar river,” said an official.
Putting tech into use
The State Planning Commission will conduct a workshop on Friday to reduce pollution in the waterways of the city. Experts will participate in brainstorming sessions on detection, monitoring and analysis of water pollution using cutting edge technology.
“The current restoration efforts in Cooum and Adyar rivers cannot be comprehensively completed without the restoration of the Buckingham canal. Following the workshop on Friday, the experts are expected to kickstart more brainstorming sessions on the most challenging aspects of eco-restoration of the Buckingham Canal,” an official said.
“The Buckingham canal is polluted. Water is stagnant, creating an ideal habitat for malarial mosquitoes. The North Chennai Thermal Power Station discharges hot water and fly ash into the canal,” said an official.
Officials said the brainstorming sessions would focus on the impact of reduction in the width of the canal in areas such as Triplicane, Mylapore, Indira Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur and Chepauk. “A widening of the canal is crucial for the drainage of stormwater during the monsoon,” said an official.
