CHENNAI: The ongoing metro rail work due to which the Mambalam canal has now been blocked, has left some government departments jittery owing to the flooding risk it poses in the event of continuous rain. The officials have recommended that the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) suspend the project well before the monsoon season and resume it in January next year.
The Mambalam canal, a five-km-long waterbody that drains into the Adyar, is the disposal point for all stormwater drains in the locality, including T Nagar. Since the canal has been blocked near Venkatnarayana road for metro work, water had to be pumped out from one side to another to enable flow during last week’s rain. This, however, took seven times more time than when the water naturally drained through the canal, said sources.
“It is manageable now since the rains are only intermittent, and these stop-gap arrangements might work. However, the metro work must be wound up within the next month. They can resume it in January, after the monsoon,” said a senior official on the condition of anonymity, adding that the currently available pumps with the CMRL are not equipped to handle large volumes of water.
The metro rail had closed the canal to construct the underground Nandanam station as part of the CMRL Phase II Corridor 4 work. The officials said they had commenced work in the canal only after obtaining due permissions from the departments concerned.
“Even so, when the need arises, we have to prioritise clearing up the canal for water to drain to avoid a disaster. We received excess rainfall during southwest monsoon itself. So, we don’t know what the northeast monsoon holds for the city this year,” said an official.
Meanwhile, metro water officials told TNIE that the mud laid close to the canal would be removed before the onset of monsoon.
