Members of the Urapakkam-based Kilambakkam Eri Neerininai Payanpaduthuvor Sangam have requested the Water Resources Department (WRD) to reconstruct a broken weir (in the Kilambakkam Eri) that was damaged on December 1, 2015. Encroachers had broken a part of the weir to prevent flooding of their houses. The weir, constructed at a length of 60ft, was damaged for about five feet.
M. Mohanan, president of the Sangam, says, “Another intense spell of rain can cause flooding of localities around the Eri. Excess rainwater from the Eri can flood the nearby agricultural area that is spread over 60 acres; residential areas including Ram Nagar and Selvaraj Nagar in Urapakkam can suffer severe inundation.”
If re-constructed, the weir will raise the level of water upstream or regulate its flow.
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The members had sent many petitions to the executive engineer, WRD, Kancheepuram in 2016 and to the Kancheepuram District Collector, but in vain.
During cyclone Vardah, the lake reached its full capacity and the water flowed through the broken weir.
“This May, I submitted a petition to the officer-in-charge, Jama Bandhi, and it was forwarded to the WRD. Authorities of the Department are supposed to reply within a month to the officer in-charge and the petitioner regarding the action taken on the petition. However, I have not received any reply,” says Mohan.
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The main inlet for the rainwater channel that brings in excess rainwater from Urapakkam Eri, Ayyancherry Eri and Kasturi Estates, Urapakkam, has shrunk to five feet from its original width of 40ft, largely due of encroachments.
If steps are not taken to clear the encroachments, the excess rainwater can flood M.G. Nagar Phase I and II, Anna Nagar and Swami Vivekananda Nagar, affecting at least 10,000 households. When contacted, an official from the WRD promised that necessary action would be taken.