CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has announced plans to renovate and upgrade various canals across the city at a cost of Rs 94.34 crore. The project aims to address concerns of flooding, improve water flow and enhance the overall infrastructure of the city’s canal system.
The renovation and development work will focus on raising the canal walls, installing chain link fencing and improving drainage systems, re-constructing damaged culverts to prevent flooding in surrounding residential areas.
The Verangal Odai canal in Velachery, which serves as a crucial watercourse for rainwater runoff from Adambakkam, Palavanthangal, Nanganallur and Meenambakkam airport, collects rainwater in Adambakkam Lake and travels through Verangal Odai before reaching the marshland making this canal vital for managing excess rainwater.
However, the canal’s existing infrastructure has been inadequate, particularly due to low side walls and a lack of retaining walls in certain sections. During the monsoon, this causes water to overflow, leading to flooding in residential areas such as Saraswati Nagar, Nilamangai Nagar, Bharathidasan Nagar, among others in Velachery. To address this issue, the GCC plans to raise the canal’s side walls, erect retaining walls and install chain link fencing to prevent garbage disposal into the canal.
In addition, the GCC has also proposed to demolish and reconstruct the box culvert bridge across the canal in John Kennedy Street, VOC Street, Chozhan Street and MGR 2nd Street. A similar plan is in place for the canal along J K Road.
Similarly, the SIDCO Industrial Estate Canal helps in channeling rainwater from Anna Salai, Alandur, St Thomas Mount and the Guindy Industrial Estate towards the Adyar. However, during the recent monsoon, some culverts and side walls of this canal were damaged. The GCC has proposed removing the dilapidated culverts and constructing new ones, along with raising the canal’s side walls and fencing to ensure unhindered water flow.
The other canals set for renovation include the Kodungaiyur canal, Captain Cotton canal, Vyasarpadi canal, Gandhi canal, MGR canal, Mambalam canal, Nandanam canal, Jafferkhanpet canal and Reddikuppam canal. A few of these projects have already received administrative approval.