Minister for Water Resources Duraimurugan inaugurated the work on flood mitigation at an estimated cost of ₹165 crore in the southern parts of the city on Monday in the presence of Health Minister Ma. Subramanian.
According to a press release, restoration and sprucing up of Madurapakkam and Ottiyambakkam canals was one of the important component of the scheme in Tambaram and Vandalur taluks of Chengalpattu district. The water from various neighborhoods and excess water from lakes are carried by these canals to the sea via Pallikaranai marshland. During the 2015 floods, the canals carried 3,000 cusecs of water to the sea in Muttukadu, passing through Pallikaranai marshland, Okkiyam Maduvu and Buckingham canal.
The topography in Perumbakkam and Chemmenchery facilitates flow of excess water from the 35 lakes in Vandalur towards the Pallikaranai marshland. However, after a large number of houses came up in the area, this natural flow of water has been disrupted. For instance, near the DLF Garden City apartments, the drainage system has been disturbed. There water stagnation of up to 5 feet in the area during the previous monsoon. Similarly, with the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board constructing tenements in Perumbakkam and Chemmenchery, there was been disruption in the flow of rainwater towards Pallikaranai marshland.
The excess water from Madurapakkam canal does not have a defined route in some areas and has been the major cause of flooding near DLF Garden City. Similarly, the water from Ottiyambakkam canal does not have a defined route after Survey No. 254 and has caused flooding in the Arasankalani and Perumbakkam areas.
Chief Minister M.K.Stalin inspected the flood-hit areas on November 29 and December 1, 2021 and ordered officials to mitigate flooding. Following Mr. Stalin’s visit, a detailed project report was prepared and six schemes for flood mitigation have been launched in the area at an estimated cost of ₹165.35 crore, the release said.
