Residents near Tambaram want buried canal restored

Residents of Varadarajapuram, Erumaiyur and Rayappa Nagar near Tambaram have urged the state government to take measures to prevent flooding in the area and reclaim a canal levelled up by a private realtor.

Jose Punnoose, a Varadarajapuram resident, said that rainwater could not drain into the Adyar River after the construction of Outer Ring Road (ORR). “The villages are located 3 to 4 kilometres from Tambaram. Despite repeated appeals to authorities, no tangible measures have been taken to address the worsening situation, which poses a grave threat to the safety and livelihoods of hundreds of families in the region,” he told media persons.

He highlighted that due to the insufficient culverts under the ORR, the flow of water into Adyar is obstructed. Also, the lack of stormwater canals along Kishkinta - Tambaram road causes floods.

“Adding to the crisis, a new 96-acre residential layout has been developed in a low-lying area abutting the original settlements of Varadarajapuram and Erumaiyur. Massive soil dumping, raising the ground level by 7 to 12 feet, has buried several natural water channels, including rivers and streams marked in survey numbers 447, 445, 454, 444, and others. The blockage of these water channels has caused floodwaters to redirect into previously safe residential areas, turning elevated regions into flood-prone zones,” he explained.

Jose Punnoose and other residents urged the government to restore the buried natural water channels in the newly developed layout to protect the original settlements from flooding. They also demand that the government construct concrete walls along the Adyar River, additional culverts under ORR, and develop stormwater drains along Kishkinta-Tambaram Road to safely channel water into the Adyar River.