Adyar River Flood Relief Projects Enter Final Phase: WRD to Float Final Tenders

In a significant move against urban flooding, the Water Resources Department (WRD) is planning to issue final tenders to strengthen the Manapakkam and Gerugambakkam drainage channels minor waterways leading to Chennai’s Adyar River. The graduate is part of the final step in an ₹84.93 crore project initiated last year to rejuvenate several smaller channels in the region, including the Kolapakkam channel.

The new works that are to be completed by October before the Northeast monsoon, are aimed at addressing the flooding vulnerability in the localities downstream of Chembarambakkam reservoir, which the city saw a flooding experience around Manapakkam, Mugalivakkam and Gerugambakkam.

A part of this would be bridging an important gap in the Manapakkam channel near the Officers Training Academy (OTA) where the first work was undertaken last year. The WRD is also set to extend the channel from the OTA premises to the Adyar River for ₹9.4 crore. This stretch will be concreted with an inlet with a capacity of 300–350 cusecs along with a fresh flood protection wall to minimize spillover in the localities.

It was long suffering from poor water-carrying capacity and disconnection over a 7-km-long stretch — the Manapakkam channel resulting in a massive inundation during heavy rains. Each route reinforced is anticipated to greatly increase flood resilience in the region.

Separately, the State has allocated ₹3.5 crore for constructing a flood protection wall at the flood-prone reaches of the 3-km Gerugambakkam channel. This is done in phases to protect flood-prone pockets such as Mahalakshmi Nagar in Mugalivakkam and Azhwancherry where residents are prone to repeat waterlogging and property damage.

The official said silt from vacant lands and faulty retention walls were major contributors to flooding in previous years. After these last-minute improvements, the WRD intends to complete the restoration of Adyar basin channels before the next major rains, making Chennai a bit more ready for seasonal floods.