Chennai’s Otteri Nullah Gets ₹63 Cr Rejuvenation Push Ahead of Monsoon

In a significant flood-prevention move, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has launched a ₹63 crore restoration plan to clean and rejuvenate the 12-km-long Otteri Nullah canal in north Chennai ahead of the monsoon.

Originating at Padi flyover and flowing through Kilpauk, Purasawalkam, Otteri, and Carnatic Mill before merging with the Buckingham Canal, Otteri Nullah is one of the city’s 32 natural canals. It plays a critical role in draining excess water from Ambattur, Korattur, and Villivakkam lakes three flood-prone regions in Chennai.

Officials from the Solid Waste Management Department said the project would involve large-scale removal of sludge, silt, slush, water weeds, debris, and plastic waste from the canal. “Special machinery will dredge the canal to a depth of 8 metres, and the dredged material will be moved to locations within a 4-km radius along the riverbank’s outer slope,” a GCC official said.

The tender has already been floated, with work expected to commence next month. The project will be executed in phases and completed within a year, GCC has assured.

Even after the announcement, people, especially in Kilpauk, were skeptical. Residents feel that the civic body has waited for a long and should have commenced the desilting work much earlier, considering the monsoon timing. People were also concerned about uncontrolled encroachments and indiscriminate dumping of trash into the canal.

“The canal is now a dump yard. Citizens toss plastic trash and domestic waste into it. Unless there is strict enforcement and monitoring, the cleanup would be temporary,” said one Kilpauk resident.

Environmentalists join the concern, advocating a long-term course of action in the form of alternating routine maintenance with anti-encroachment drives and awareness campaigns.

As Chennai prepares to face another monsoon, the success of this ₹63 crore project may depend not only on machinery and manpower but also on regular civic effort and cooperation from citizens.