After nearly two years, the Water Resources Department has started work to deepen the heavily sedimented Ennore creek.
The Ennore Thermal Power Station was desilting the Ennore creek until two years ago. But, it was suspended due to administrative reasons. With the Kamarajar Port Limited providing ₹94 lakh, the WRD has started to deepen, desilt and widen the Ennore creek ahead of the northeast monsoon.
WRD officials said this would provide relief from inundation in nearby fishing hamlets such as Nettukuppam and Thalangkuppam. “Ensuring free flow of water into sea will also help alleviate flooding in several parts of north Chennai during monsoon,” an official said.
“We will desilt the creek for a distance of 500 metre near the creek and widen it up to 400 metre. We plan to continue the operation till January,” the official added. The Kosasthalaiyar River drains up to 50,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs) of flood water into the sea through the creek during monsoons.
However, residents demanded the construction of groynes near Chinnakuppam, Periakuppam and Ernavoorkuppam. The WRD had planned to build nine groynes (boulders laid perpendicular to the coastline) to prevent sea erosion and help sand accumulation.
R. Venkatesan, general secretary, Ennore United Organisations, said the three villages were only 10 metres away from the sea. Large portions of the old wall along the shoreline has been washed away in the last two years. Huge waves pose the constant threat of inundation. In areas such as Nettukuppam and Tiruvottiyurkuppam, where the groynes have been erected, wave action has reduced and waterlogging prevented.
