Drive to reclaim rivers gains steam

Efforts are on to meet the approaching deadlines as part of the ambitious ?604cr Cooum eco-restoration project. Multiple state government agencies are working to widen the 72km-long river course which is to be fenced with 10-foot-high retaining walls to prevent garbage dumping and further pollution.

Over the last month, PWD officials have removed encroachments along the Cooum at Thiruverkadu, Maduravoyal, Koyambedu, Aminjikarai, Egmore and Pudupettai.Occupants of the illegal structures were evicted and relocated to Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) tenements in Perumbakkam.

Officials of various departments who set up camp last week on West Cooum River Road, Chintadripet to facilitate rehabilitation of about 400 families were faced with protests by residents. Thatched and concrete houses, small factories, hardware shops, food stalls and workshops were demolished amid stiff opposition. Some star hotels on the river banks however resisted demolition citing court cases.
Under police protection, PWD officials are carrying out the demolition drive on two stretches – Paruthipattu to Padi Kuppam (Koyambedu) and Padi Kuppam to Napier Bridge. As part of restoration, the government has identified 14,000 families in 55 slums along the river for eviction.
“About 60% of encroachments have been removed. The river course is being widened by five to 50 metres,” a PWD official said. The river will become wider by about 50m in some stretches including Aminjikarai. “We are trying to restore the river width of 220m in some stretches,” the official said.
Monitored by Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust, the restoration project is being carried out by PWD, Greater Chennai Corporation, Metrowater, TNSCB and local bodies. The corporation has been tasked with removing solid waste from the banks and constructing retaining walls on the reclaimed portions. According to an affidavit by the municipal administration and water supply department, solid waste removal from the river banks is to be completed by July.
Launched in 2015, the project involves 60 subschemes to be completed by year-end. Also, the government had launched the Integrated Cooum Eco-Restoration Plan to be carried out in three phases at a cost of ?1,934cr in 2015. The ongoing ?604cr restoration project was launched as part of the first phase. Its objectives included finding alternative ways to stop sewage inlets into the river, solid waste management, improvement of flood-carrying capacity, resettlement and rehabilitation of slum dwellers and biodiversity restoration.