Chennai: Residents of Velachery have appealed to the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to abandon its proposed eco park project along the six-vent culvert waterway. They argue that the project would further obstruct the natural flow of water, exacerbating monsoon flooding in the area.
Flooding Concerns
All rainwater from a nearly 10-kilometer radius, including areas such as Velachery, Taramani, Dhandeeswaram, and adjoining localities, converges into the narrow eight-foot canal and single culvert. This results in severe inundation during the monsoon season every year, according to residents.
Previous Petitions and Court Intervention
In February 2024, residents' associations submitted petitions signed by more than 3,000 people to the Chennai district collector and GCC, demanding the removal of encroachments and the widening of the existing drain into a 30-foot macro canal. When no action was taken, they approached the Madras High Court, which in June 2024 directed authorities to inspect the site and submit a report within three months.
“Despite the court direction, no substantial flood mitigation work has been undertaken so far. Instead, GCC is moving ahead with plans for an eco-park and landscaping work inside the waterway area. We urged the civic body to prioritise desilting of the macro canal under Taramani Link Road, remove encroachments, and construct an additional culvert before the onset of the northeast monsoon. There has been no response from the authorities,” said M Balakrishnan, secretary of Tansi Nagar Residents Welfare Association.
Impact on Water Flow
Residents stated that a pond-like embankment created inside the marshland further restricts the free flow of rainwater into the Pallikaranai marsh, causing water stagnation for several days after every rain spell during the monsoon. During intense rainfall, excess rainwater inundates residential areas, they added.
“The proposed eco park would completely obstruct the free flow of water and worsen flood risk in the locality. If the plan is not scrapped, we will resort to a demonstration,” said P Shanmugam, president of the residents’ welfare association.
Official Response
When contacted, Adyar zone chairman R Durai Raj said, “After the assembly election, there are no officials available to check the status of projects in the zone. The authorities may reconsider it, but it could take a few weeks to know the status of the project.”
