Proposal on building surplus channel to the Adyar awaits government approval

A proposal to divert surplus water of Irumbuliyur and Peerkankaranai lakes to the Adyar to reduce inundation in southern areas is awaiting government approval

A proposal to divert surplus water of Irumbuliyur and Peerkankaranai lakes to the Adyar to reduce inundation in southern areas is awaiting government approval.

Starting the work to build a channel and bridge the gaps in surplus course till the Adyar before ensuing northeast monsoon is imperative to reduce waterlogging. The project, estimated to cost ₹80 crore, was devised to minimise flooding in areas around Tambaram, said officials of the Water Resources Department.

The department has sought the government’s approval for the project as an emergency work to be started before the onset of northeast monsoon. It was devised based on the recommendations of the Chennai Flood Disaster Mitigation and Management Committee, headed by retired IAS officer V. Thiruppugazh, the officials said.

The department has planned to build a channel for nearly 2 km linking the lakes’ surplus water till Mudichur junction. The proposed channel will be connected to the existing channel that joins the Adyar near Dargas Road. It will have a capacity to carry about 1,200 cusecs of water. Moreover, there are plans to build flood protection walls along some portions of the channel to prevent spill-over to the neighbouring areas, said the officials.

The project was chalked out after the 2015 floods when inadequacies in the surplus course had led to flooding in the residential colonies around Peerkankaranai and Irumbuliyur lakes. The sudden inflow and flash floods in a group of tanks, including those at Perungalathur and Mudichur, had inundated residential areas then.