CHENNAI: The Public Works Department has given approval to the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority to develop a 66-acre marshland opposite Sathangadu Iron and Steel Market, which acts as a natural water course for surplus water from Puzhal lake and Burma Nagar.
The site, known as the ‘flood bowl of North Chennai’ among water experts, protects the neighbourhood from inundation, and it held over 30 million cubic feet of water during the 2015 floods.
If the area is filled with earth to set up the `160-crore truck terminal, the entire quantum of water will be blocked and held up all along the Red Hills surplus course, leading to heavy flooding in areas such as Kosapur and Mathur.
However, according to PWD officials, the no-objection certificate was granted with a number of conditions that would ensure that the area continues to act as a flood bowl. It has directed the CMDA to make sure that the terminal is an elevated structure, with the bottom deck slab level 4.420 metre high, sources said.
One of the main conditions was that the site should be maintained ‘as is where is in natural condition’ without affecting the natural flow of water course in order to avoid inundation and flood damage in the upper reaches, sources added.
While giving conditional approval, the PWD has stated that the CMDA will solely be responsible for the safety and stability of the proposed structure. It also said that the CMDA had to ascertain the ownership of land and get proper permission for construction of elevated container truck terminal before starting the work.
The project so far