CHENNAI: The delay in commissioning an environmental impact study for the stretch of the Cooum between
Chetpet
and the river's mouth on the
Marina Beach
, under the Cooum eco-restoration project, is pushing the project's completion date beyond 2018.
According to officials of the
Public Works Department
(PWD), which is executing the
Integrated Cooum River Eco-Restoration Project
, construction of a sewage interceptor canal and baby canal has been progressing at the reaches of the river upstream of Padikuppam causeway. However, the stretch between Chetpet and the river's mouth requires coastal regulation zone (CRZ) clearance, a problem area for the
PWD
.
"The assessment has to be stringent due to the CRZ stipulations. It would have been easier had the CRZ regulation applied only till the high tide zone. But when it is for a stretch of nearly nine km, then several adjustments are required, which will delay the project," a senior PWD official said. Meanwhile, the PWD is working to improve the flood water carrying capacity of both Cooum and Adyar. On Cooum, the department has utilised Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology to map out the flood bowls. Along with this data, the PWD is certain that measures like strengthening the bund and preventing debris dumping would help the city handle a flood situation better. "We are also looking at the option of constructing flume sections in certain portions of the river. This could reduce flooding probability in the flood bowl areas," the official added.
However, encroachment removal has been a stumbling block. Over 5,000 families have been relocated to the Tamil Nadu slum clearance board settlements in Okkiyam Thuraipakkam and Perumbakkam since the 2015 floods. But litigation is slowing the process down.
"A lot of commercial development has happened over the years along the Cooum. It is not possible to demolish every structure. So, we need to work out a middle ground solution," a senior PWD official said.
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