Date:01/11/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/11/01/stories/2006110114840300.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Canal to let out excess rainwater proposed at Maduravoyal

Staff Reporter

Work is expected to begin by December after the end of the monsoon

Decision taken to prevent recurrence of inundation

Fears that price of materials used will raise cost

CHENNAI: The Maduravoyal Municipality has proposed construction of a canal to let out excess rainwater from the Alapakkam lake.

Work on the canal is expected to begin by December, with the end of monsoon.

There are, however, fears that price of materials used for construction would raise the cost of the project. It is currently estimated to cost Rs.1.02 crore.

The decision to build a canal was made to prevent the recurrence of inundation of nearby areas, as it happened last year. Residents of Porur, Karampakkam, Vanagaram and even Valasaravakkam suffered when the lake broke its bund last year.

Water flowed through low-level areas of Ganapathi Nagar, Lakshmi Nagar and Kanniamman Nagar, inundating them. To prevent the inundation, the municipality decided to built a canal to carry the excess water through Poonamallee High Road and then into the River Coovum, through a culvert.

The construction of the canal was estimated to cost Rs.95 lakh but no one came forward to take up the work when tenders were floated.

On Tuesday, Commissioner Niranjan Mardi and Assistant Commissioner Hitesh Kumar Makwana visited the site to approve of the plan. It was envisaged by Maduravoyal Municipality Executive Officer K. Gunasundari.

Residents in the surrounding areas are pinning their hopes on the culvert to save them from flooding in the next monsoon.