Union Home Ministry’s sub-committee to meet next week to finalise flood management plan for Chennai

Providing additional six outfalls in the sea from the Buckingham Canal, in addition to the existing Ennore Creek, Cooum Creek, Adyar Creek and Muttukadu Creek, is among the proposed steps suggested by a consultant appointed for the proposal

Experts in disaster management have pointed out that absence of surplus channel to carry water from Manimangalam to the Adyar has been causing severe flooding in the area whenever there is heavy rain. | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO

The Disaster Management Division of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has initiated steps for an integrated urban flood management plan for flood-prone zones of Chennai. The sub-committee of the national executive committee under the chairmanship of the Union Home Secretary is meeting in New Delhi next week to consider the proposal.

The National Disaster Management Authority, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has suggested to get allocation from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund as envisaged in the recommendation of the 15th Finance Commission for the initiative. Various agencies have implemented projects for flood mitigation in the city. Once the proposal is considered by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, more work is expected towards flood management in the city.

Real-time forecast

A consultant,SECON - JBA JV, has developed a real-time flood forecastingand spatial decision support system for Chennai city. The project was implemented for the Tamil Nadu Disaster Risk Reduction Agency of the Commissionerate of Revenue Administration and Disaster Management. The consultant had provided 34 flood-mitigation solutions for Chennai.

Providing six additional outfalls in the sea from the Buckingham Canal, in addition to the existing Ennore Creek, Cooum Creek, Adyar Creek and Muttukadu Creek, is among the proposed steps. The real-time flood forecasting and spatial decision support system was deployed during the northeast monsoon in 2021 and 2022.

In addition to non-structural aspects such as flood forecasting, experts have suggested structural aspects such as construction of well-designed surplus channels from tanks in the city.

All surplus channels should get a walled boundary to prevent encroachment.

For example, Karasangal area on city outskirts had reported severe flooding because there was no defined surplus channel to carry water from Manimangalam tank to the Adyar. After the 2015 floods, construction activity reduced in the area because floodwater rose to a height of 10 feet.

As construction activities have resumed in the area, residents want the government to construct surplus channel from Manimangalam tank.

Similarly, there is no surplus channel to carry water from Retteri Lake to the Red Hills surplus channel for draining into Kosasthalaiyar river. The channel area has been encroached upon.