Fund crunch hits Buckingham canal work
Officials confident restoration project to gather pace after encroachment eviction
Clogged Buckingham canal played havoc during the recent monsoon in north and central Chennai (Photo: Hemanathan.M)
CHENNAI: More than 15 months have been completed since the High Court ordered to demarcate and clear encroachments near Buckingham Canal as part of the restoration project. The demarcation of boundaries has almost been completed by the Water Resources Department (WRD). Due to a funds crisis, the government has not sanctioned funds for the restoration project, an official said.
As the department has not carried out encroachment eviction drive and desilted the water body, it is one of the prior reasons where north Chennai residents experienced inundation during the intense monsoon spell in December 2023. “It is one of the important water bodies in the city to carry excess rainwater through river streams and then flow to the sea. At present, the Buckingham canal is filled with sludge and requires immediate attention to prevent flooding in the northern part of the city in the future,” said a senior WRD official.
Since climate change plays a vital role, intense rain is expected during the northeast monsoon in the coming years. It is noted that it might take a longer time for the government to sanction the money to carry out the restoration project this year. The authorities are negligent in speeding up the process of the restoration project.
The boundary demarcation work has almost completed, and has been working on preliminary reports including Differential Global Positioning Systems (DGPS) and Detailed Project Report (DPR) by Anna University to get CRZ clearance for Buckingham canal restoration work. The department has planned to take the restoration project in two phases. In the first phase, various works, including removing solid waste and sludge, a total cost of Rs 403 crore has been allocated.
“The government order has been issued, but the fund has not been sanctioned by the department due to shortage in funds especially after the natural calamity of the capital city and several southern districts of Tamil Nadu faced recently.
To prevent inundation during the monsoon season in to north and central Chennai, it is important to restore the Buckingham canal at the earliest,” said another official.
Once the encroachment eviction drive is completed, the eco-restoration project will begin. Various works such as bund strengthening, and compound walls will be constructed near the water body to prevent encroachments and waste being dumped in the canal. To increase the greenery space near the canal, plant saplings will be done.
