Monsoon-ready: 26,000 encroachments along waterbodies cleared

After the court order to evict the encroachments, as it is one of the major reasons for the 2015 floods, the civic body is working on a war-footing to clear them, he said.

The renovation works are also being carried out to bring the lakes back to their original shape after the encroachers were evicted. Families who are living on the banks in weak structures in Navalur, Tiruvottiyur, Ezhil Nagar Okkiyam and Thoraipakkam were allotted houses.

In 2015, as many as 9,539 families were affected in the flood, out of which 4,134 families were allotted houses.

“To undertake works on the Cooum River under the Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust (CRRT) project, 14,257 families were identified as encroachers and 6,879 families were allotted houses. Along the water channels maintained by the Corporation, 3,041 families were identified and 1,671 families were allotted houses,” he added. 

To carry out the integrated stormwater drain works in the added areas, 81 families residing on the canals were evicted and allocated houses. Totally, 26,837 families were identified as encroachers and 12,765 families were allocated houses. The work is on to evict the rest, he stated.