CHENNAI: Even as the NGT is still hearing the impact of the TNHB construction in Arumbakkam on the Cooum and its course, officials had to go by floats to mark the boundaries of the housing board land last week, after parts of the construction area were found severely inundated after the recent rains.
The red flags that marked the boundaries of the Tamil Nadu Housing Board’s proposed multi-storeyed HIG flats, were seen jutting out from under water, submerged by water from the Cooum after rains. The flags had been planted to mark the boundary ahead of the NGT hearing on the case scheduled on Thursday.
When asked about the inundation, senior Housing Board officials said that the board will sacrifice more than 8,000 square mt of its own land to ensure the free flow of the Cooum river. Officials said the board is a responsible organisation and the land was acquired in the 1960s itself.
G Devarajan, a resident of Arumbakkam, had filed a petition before the NGT earlier this year challenging the environment clearance (EC) for the project, alleging it would disturb the riverine ecology and cause environmental damage. A panel constituted by NGT found that TNHB had encroached the flood plain of Cooum. While the NGT is still probing the impact of construction on the river, the location of construction site may give rise to safety concerns in an already flood-prone city like Chennai.
S Janakarajan, president, South Asia Consortium for Interdisciplinary Water Resources Studies said that the site is in a vulnerable area and any construction on the flood plain may result in flooding.“Even if they manage to protect this building, it will result in flooding elsewhere in the city,” he said.According to locals, during the recent rains, the construction site was inundated and water had to be pumped out using motor pumps.
When contacted, PWD officials said that the land has been surveyed multiple times and that records as early as 1919 showed that the land was patta land. However, the natural course of the river in reality may deviate from the course of the river as per records but the board has been asked to take necessary precautions.
“The housing board boundary falls under the natural course of the river. We had asked them to ensure a minimum setback of 15 meters and on inspection, we found that they have complied with it,” an official said.