Govt. plans to restore tanks in Chennai’s western suburbs
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As a part of the measures to sort out floods and droughts affecting Chennai, the Water Resources Department (WRD) proposes to restore a cascade of tanks in the western suburbs and convert them into sources of consuming water.
The challenge, proposed below the Chennai City Partnership Programme, is below scrutiny, and awaits funds from the World Bank. The community of 10 city tanks is unfold from Thirunindravur to Retteri. Surplus water from every of those tanks drains into the next one and attain Retteri.
The tanks embrace these at Thandurai, Sekkadu, Vilinjiyampakkam, Paruthipattu, Ayapakkam, Arabath eri, Ambattur and Korattur. Metrowater has already been creating the waterbody at Retteri as a supply of consuming water.
WRD officers stated many tanks in the Kosasthalaiyar sub-basin have been uncared for. As the areas round them have been urbanised, hyperlinks between the tanks went lacking, with parts of the excess channels having disappeared through the years.
This usually led to flooding of the encircling localities and wastage of rainwater that will have drained into these tanks.
Through this ₹26 crore restoration challenge, the WRD expects to mitigate floods in the susceptible areas and increase storage for consuming functions.
Capacity to be elevated
The authentic capability of the tanks is 965.50 million cubic toes (mcft), and the challenge will assist to improve their capability to 1,351.70 mcft and to recharge the groundwater desk in neighbouring areas. Once the challenge is accomplished, the tanks collectively would have extra storage than the brand new reservoir at Thervoy Kandigai Kannankottai, which might retailer 500 mcft.
The WRD plans to increase the total tank degree of those waterbodies. Besides offering shutters and rebuilding weirs, which permit surplus water to move out, the bunds can be fortified and foreshore bunds fashioned.
“We are also planning to construct an off-take channel from the stretch of the Cooum river near the Korattur check-dam. Once the check-dam is reconstructed, the stored water will be conveyed to the Thirunindravur tank,” an official stated.
Measures can be taken to assemble channels to bridge the gaps, particularly close to Thirunindravur and between Paruthipattu and Ayapakkam. However, sewage launch into the tanks from Sekkadu to Retteri is a serious problem.
The surplus channel from Ayapakkam to Korattur, too, carries rainwater blended with sewage.
