Officials of the WRD say that decades of sediment accumulation has affected the flood handling capacity of the canal, which has no natural slope within city limits.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
After several years, the crucial stretch of the Central Buckingham Canal is now set to receive long-overdue attention. Work has been expedited on dredging the waterway to enhance its flood-carrying capacity and reduce inundation in parts of Chennai.
Every year, the Water Resources Department (WRD) clears water hyacinth and floating waste from the canal, ahead of the rainy season. This time, the department is executing work to dredge the stretch up to a depth of one metre to remove accumulated sludge and debris, which have impeded free flow of floodwater. It is set to be completed before the onset of the northeast monsoon.
Officials of the WRD said decades of sediment accumulation has affected the flood handling capacity of the canal, which has no natural slope within city limits. The canal receives flood discharge from neighbourhoods such as Chepauk, Triplicane, Mylapore and parts of Mambalam.
The ₹31-crore project covers dredging of the 7.3-km stretch between Sivananda Salai and R.A. Puram to improve the canal’s flood carrying capacity up to 2,500 cubic feet per second. Of the total stretch, nearly 2.7 km of the canal has been dredged so far. Some of the portions taken up for cleaning include Sivarajapuram, Mattan Kuppam in Triplicane; Govindaswamy Nagar, R.A. Puram and Slaterpuram, Mylapore.
Residents of Triplicane noted that portions of the canal near MRTS stations, appeared cleaner after many years. T.J. Ramani, a resident, said narrow stretches like in Sunkuwar Street are now free of garbage. This may help better flow of water and reduce mosquito menace. The authorities must also prevent sewage inflow into the waterway.
Officials said the project is being carried out factoring in challenges posed by MRTS pillars and encroachments. Machinery, including amphibious excavators, are being deployed to tackle limited access to the canal that has a varying width of 15-20 metre.
The dredged silt would be transported to low level areas identified in Basin Bridge. Other components of the project, including bank protection and improving the aesthetics and creating recreational spaces would be taken up later.
Published – September 26, 2025 06:06 am IST
