CHENNAI: Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority has initiated a study to allow development in the catchment area of Red Hills Lake. This comes a year after the proposal to change the land use in the catchment area was first mooted. The proposal was then opposed over fears of threatening Chennai’s water security.
After putting the proposal on the back burner, the authority has now appointed a consultant to study the impact of urban development in the lake’s catchment area. Sources said the move comes in the wake of several representations from land owners requesting for relaxation of the rules relating to Redhills Catchment Area for development of their patta lands.
Centre for Urbanization, Buildings & Environment (CUBE) has been appointed to carry out a study on ‘Impact of urban development on Redhills Catchment Area and planning interventions for its conservation and protection’ after land owners sought relaxation of the rules relating to Redhills Catchment Area for development of their patta lands.
Official sources said the objective of the study is to model the impact of urban development on the catchment area. The study will also recommend appropriate measures for the protection of the catchment area. The move to reclassify the water catchment area was opposed by former CM Edapaddi K Palaniswami in June 2022, based on the news reports. He had urged the government to withdraw the proposal by the Housing and Urban Development Department.
According to development regulations of the Second Master Plan, Red Hills is one of the main sources of water supply to the city. To protect this water source from the negating fact of urban development, contiguous areas in the catchments of these lakes have been declared as catchment areas restricted for development. There are 27 villages covered along the catchment area and these should not be developed, sources told TNIE.
Official sources said the study will provide an overview of the past and current status of Red Hills Lake in terms of its catchment area and micro watersheds. It will provide the pattern of population growth and density, the type of developments and the ground coverage of the developments in the study area since the year 1990. Besides, it will map the developments existing in the year 1990 including all approved and unapproved developments/layouts in the catchment area after 1980.
In the Terms of Reference document, accessed by TNIE, CMDA has highlighted its inability in enforcing rules for the Red Hills catchment area. “Though developments are restricted and reclassification of land use into any other urban use is not permitted, in the catchment area enforcing the rules for Redhills catchment area is very difficult, because of the larger extent of the catchment area. which in turn creates environmental problems concerning water contamination, water balance and flooding during monsoonal rains,” CMDA has said in the document.