Canal over 5 km to divert surplus water from Ambattur lake
WRD’s proposal of an integrated flood management solution to cost an estimated Rs 130 crore. DT Next reports
CHENNAI: In an effort to mitigate recurring floods in Ambattur and neighbouring areas, the Water Resources Department (WRD) has proposed the construction of a 5.1-kilometre canal to divert surplus water from Ambattur lake into the Cooum River.
Every year during the northeast monsoon, the Ambattur Industrial Estate (IE) and surrounding residential areas in Ambattur and Korattur are flooded from the overflow of Ambattur Lake.
To address this issue, the WRD has proposed an integrated flood management solution, including the construction of a 5-km-long diversion canal to the Cooum River at an estimated cost of Rs 130 crore. “The canal is designed to carry 350 cusecs of water to the Cooum River. It will start at the Cookson Road junction in the Ambattur Industrial Estate, pass through Third Main Road, and run beneath the bypass that connects Tambaram and Puzhal. The canal will ultimately discharge the water into the Cooum near Maduravoyal. It will be constructed as a cut-and-cover structure, with dimensions of 4x2 metres,” a senior WRD official said.
Tenders have been floated, and construction is expected to commence in August, with completion targeted for September 2026, the official added.
Welcoming the move to reduce flood-risk in the industrial area, RSS Sathish Babu, president of the Ambattur Industrial Estate Manufacturers Association (AIEMA), said: “The diversion canal from Cookson Road to Maduravoyal was, in fact, one of AIEMA’s key suggestions.”
However, the WRD has turned down two additional upstream flood-diversion proposals submitted by AIEMA, deeming them unviable.
Ambattur Lake, spread over 440 acres, receives inflows from lakes in Sekkadu, Vilinjiyambakkam, Paruthipattu, and Ayapakkam. In a detailed project report, AIEMA had proposed a 0.6-km stormwater drain (SWD) from Ayapakkam lake to Koladi lake, and another 1.1-km drain from Koladi lake to the Cooum river near Thiruverkadu, to divert an estimated 423.6 cusecs of water. Another proposal involved a 2.5-km drain from Ambattur lake to Ayanambakkam lake, and a 0.2-km channel to the Cooum river to divert 530 cusecs. “Both upstream proposals were dropped,” the WRD official confirmed.
