Plastic, construction debris choke Vyasarpadi canal

Several canals criss-cross North Chennai. In Erukkancheri that falls in Ward 36, there are two canals – the Vyasarpadi canal running parallel to the Erukkancheri Main Road, and the Captain Cotton Canal that hugs the fringes of the locality. Vyasarpadi canal, maintained by the Greater Chennai Corporation, starts from Ambedkar College and travels up to EH Road bridge, spanning 1.350 kilometres.

However, this slender, meandering canal is a picture of apathy – both public and official – with plastic waste and constructing debris choking the waterbody, made worse by the inflow of sewage through several illegal connections. 

“The plastic waste has nearly killed the canal, and the construction debris has reduced its carrying capacity. Some of the households nearby have illegal sewage lines into the water, polluting it immensely. This is one of the important link canals but is not being cared for. Due to the decreased carrying capacity, the locality inundates quickly during the monsoon season and the water ends up entering the households,” said Hemraj V, a social activist from North Chennai.

The Greater Chennai Corporation, meanwhile, is trying to complete its canal cleaning exercise before the monsoon sets in. A Corporation official said robotic excavators have been deployed to remove water hyacinth and other waste from the canals. In Tondiarpet (Zone 4), there are several canals – Kodungaiyur canal (north, south and main canal), Link canal, North Buckingham canal, Captain Cotton canal, Vyasarpadi canal and Jawahar canal. 

“The robotic excavators are currently deployed at Jawahar canal to clear out water hyacinth and other waste from it. Within the next few days, it will be used to clean up the Vyasarpadi canal too,” said a Corporation official, exhorting the public to also help keep water bodies clean by not dumping their waste. “We have created awareness through various means – there is a slow change. We need more and more people to become aware of the harm of throwing garbage in the waterbodies and eventually, put a stop to it,” added the official.