Port dumping in canal, a potential flood threat

Pooja Kumar coordinator from The Coastal Resource Centre visited the Buckingham Canal in Athipattu, near Ennore, only to find that the waterbody had completely been reclaimed by the Kamaraj Port. “The canal was there in November but when we went on December 3, we saw JCB machines dumping a mixture of mud and sand, to reclaim the Buckingham canal. This part of the canal is close to the Ennore Thermal Power Station and there have been ash leakages in the area,” she explains, adding that the canal connects the three rivers: Cooum, Adyar and Kosasthalaiyar rivers. 

Pooja, who was accompanied by fellow environmentalist Saravanan Kasi, pointed out that this activity is illegal. “The Buckingham Canal falls in Coastal Regulation Zone 2, where no construction can take place. The High Court has also banned construction on our water bodies but this activity has been illegally carried out. The Port is violating the Environmental Clearance (EC), which specifically states that no reclamation of waterbodies should be done. The Buckingham Canal is an important drainage source, especially since the surrounding area has thermal plants and industrial units. In case of excess rain, when the rivers swell, the canal takes up the extra water. But now, if a situation like what we recently faced in December 2015 occurs again, the entire area is prone to get flooded and turn into a catastrophe,” she added. 

Experts say that this move reeks of ignorance and will only lead to bigger problems in the near future. 

Arun Krishnamurthy, Founder of Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI) said, “This shows our urban arrogance and clearly indicates our ignorance. We need to seek judicial support to avert a major damage. Water literacy with a focus on environment is the need of the hour.” Siddharth Hande, a GIS expert who studies water bodies that have been lost due to over construction, said that urban planning needs to take into consideration our ecosystem. “Given the context that the city just went through during the floods recently, this move is unpardonable. The water bodies are not taken into account, while planning the city. This lack of long-term planning, especially with regard to our water bodies, is scary,” he concludes.