CHENNAI: The Water Resources Department (WRD) is getting ready to demarcate the boundaries of Buckingham Canal to restore the waterbody to its original water-carrying capacity. But with funds yet to be released by the state government and concerns being raised over resettling the illegal settlers who have built tenements along the canal, the road to the project remains rocky.
Built over 200 years ago, the Buckingham Canal was once a vital waterway linking Pedda Ganjam in Andhra Pradesh to Marakkanam in Tamil Nadu. During its heyday, the canal could carry over 6,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs) of water.
Due to unplanned urbanisation and widespread encroachments, its capacity has now shrunk to around 3,000 cusecs.
A senior WRD official told TNIE that the WRD, along with the municipal administration department, had obtained administrative sanction to carry out comprehensive restoration and rejuvenation of the canal and associated drains, with funding support from the Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust (CRRT), a year ago.
As part of the project, nearly 30 drains, including the Buckingham Canal, in and around the city were identified for intervention.
”A feasibility report has been prepared at an estimated cost of Rs 3.87 crore for demarcating the boundaries of the Adyar, Cooum, and Buckingham Canal using Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS). “The official also said that apart from non-release of funds, evicting encroachments and handling resettlement remain ‘big hurdles’.
“Unless the government takes a firm decision, restoring the canal to its original capacity won’t be possible,” he said.
Activist Vanessa Peter of IRCDUC questioned the need to remove long-term settlers from canal banks. “People have been living there for over centuries as per government records. Forcibly evicting and resettling them will affect their lives and livelihood. Children might even drop out of school,” she said. She urged the state to consider inclusive plans to avoid evictions and also explore alternative plans such as deepening the canal to enhance its storage and flow.
A Veerappan, former special chief engineer, PWD and general secretary of the TN PWD Senior Engineers Association, said, “The demarcation will help in increasing the storage capacity and draining of excess rainwater during monsoon.”