SWD project in south Chennai to start in two weeks
In two weeks, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) will begin construction of the stormwater drain (SWD) network in south Chennai. The project is funded by the World Bank. The SWD network in north Chennai is likely to commence next year.
A minimum sum of Rs 2,600 crore is likely to be used for developing the drains, eco-restoration of waterbodies and interlinking of tanks in Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram, Ambattur, Sholinganallur, Perungudi and Alandur zones.
Residents have been up in arms against the proposed project. Several sections of ECR did not witness inundation when Cyclone Nivar brought heavy rains to the city for three days. But GCC officials state that the drain would help in channelling the rainwater into the Buckingham Canal and Kovalam river and prevent the need for pumping stagnant water.
Source: The Hindu
Vehicular bridge to connect Loop Road with Broken Bridge
Justices Vineet Kothari and MS Ramesh of the Madras High Court directed the Greater Chennai Corporation to submit a detailed report on the proposal that has been made for the Loop Road. The civic body has requested for two weeks’ time for getting instructions about the project from the state government.
The civic body informed the Madras High Court that the construction of a bridge from Marina Loop Road to the Broken Bridge for vehicular traffic would cost Rs 411 crore. The counsel representing GCC added that it would cost a further Rs 229 crore to build a 10-metre wide narrow bridge for pedestrians and cyclists.
The bench also directed GCC to complete the distribution of modern pushcarts to the vendors in Marina Beach within three months.
Source: The Hindu | The New Indian Express
Central report identifies three roads as dangerous
The 2019 accident report released by the Union Road Transport Ministry has identified that Chennai has the country’s most dangerous accident spots.
First in the list is the Chennai-Tiruvallur High (CTH) Road near Ambattur which recorded 166 deaths and 755 accidents in the last three years.
Tambaram Bypass near Porur toll gate and Nazarathpet junction in Poonamallee on Chennai-Bengaluru highway that together saw 943 accidents and 192 deaths in the same time period are the other two roads to find mention in the report.
To bring down the number of deaths in 2020, the state government constructed trauma centres in the vicinity of the dangerous roads to ensure emergency care. An exercise to identify hotspots and blindspots across arterial roads has also been carried out.
Source: The Times of India
‘Pallikaranai will not be dredged’
Clarifying that there is no plan to dredge the Pallikaranai Marshland, the Greater Chennai Corporation officials have stated that the proposal that had made the news was only about developing underground drains by the cut-and-cover method to prevent flooding in the residential area.
Deputy Commissioner Meghanath Reddy said by constructing underground drains, the quantum of water draining in the marshland from other areas of the city will be reduced. The project does not involve land acquisition.
The marshland area receives water from Perungudi, Velachery, Madipakkam and Pallikaranai. After the construction of the smaller canals, the water will be directed to the Buckingham Canal, thereby preventing flooding.
The corporation also plans to widen the mouth of Muttukadu backwaters to 100 metre from 30 metre that aids in water flow from Buckingham Canal to the sea to mitigate flooding.
Source: The Hindu
Compiled by Bhavani Prabhakar
Our state should instead take measures to store the excess water by deepening the existing reservoirs, which may not be possible now, or by creating new reservoirs, lakes and ponds. This was how water was stored and effectively used by our ancestors, instead of draining out into the sea. I understand our neighbouring states have created more water storage facilities in the recent times.