Residents of Tambaram Sanatorium have requested the Water Resources Department to desilt a rainwater canal on Grand Southern Trunk (GST) Road. The canal, located opposite Sri Ramanjaneyar Temple in Tambaram Sanatorium, is supposed to carry rainwater from Pachai Malai, Chromepet, to the Chitlapakkam lake. However, owing to formation of silt and dumping of garbage and construction debris, rainwater does not flow into the lake. P. Viswanathan, convener, Chitlapakkam Residents’ Association Coordination Committee, said, “Steps must be taken to desilt the canal and to arrest discharge of sewage through stormwater drains. Also, Underground Drainage System (UGD) should be constructed in Tambaram Sanatorium and Chitlapakkam. Once rainwater flows into the lake, it would recharge the groundwater table in the neighbourhoods. If the canal is not desilted, rainwater will flood the GST Road instead of flowing into the lake.”
Residents demand that the authorities must take action to prevent encroachments on the canal, which is more than 10 feet wide.
Chitlapakkam has Pachai Malai on the western side, Perungalathur and Vandalur Hills on the Southern side and Pallavaram Hills and Kumaran Kundram on the northern side.
The rainwater from Pachai Malai should reach the Pallikaranai Marsh through Chitlapakkam, Sembakkam and Nanmangalam lakes. “Presently, there is no mechanism to direct rainwater to the lakes and also for linking waterbodies through canals to the Pallikaranai Marsh,” Viswanathan added.
An official from the Water Resources Department, Kancheepuram said he would soon inspect the canal.