The project aims to reduce flooding in the southern suburbs of Chennai; Work expected to be completed by next northeast monsoon
The Water Resources Department (WRD) plans to start work on the construction of a channel from the Somangalam tributary to the Adyar river and other improvement works in the river by early March. The project is set to reduce flooding in the southern suburbs.
Every year, areas such as Royappa Nagar, Mahalakshmi Nagar, Varadarajapuram and Paschim Tambaram remain submerged for several weeks, whenever the peak flow occurs in Adyar. Since many of these surrounding areas are at a lower elevation than the river, floodwaters have difficulty draining when the Adyar reaches its maximum capacity.
Officials said the bypass channel was one of the proposed measures to divert a portion of the flood waters flowing into the river as part of a nearly Rs 70 crore project to reduce flooding in the city’s southern suburbs.
Upstream of these flood prone areas, a cut and cover channel will be constructed at the Somangalam tributary-Adyar river confluence point. About 850 cusecs of additional water will be carried through the channel for 2 km and it will get into the river about 750 meters below the Outer Ring Road bridge. This will help prevent flood waters from spreading to neighboring areas, and ensure smooth flow of flood waters where the river has more width.
Officials said the work is expected to be completed by the next northeast monsoon as land acquisition is not required for the project.
In addition, the banks of the river near Tiruniramalai will have dense rock cuts as they often prove to be a hindrance to the smooth flow. The department will increase the depth of the river by at least two feet in flood prone areas so as to improve the flood carrying capacity.
To prevent cracks in the waterway, flood protection walls will be built at a height of four meters in sensitive areas, including Adanur and Tiruniramalai, officials said.
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