Work to widen Adyar river begins

CHENNAI: The Water Resource Department (WRD) on Thursday began widening the Adyar River, as part of flood mitigation work in the city’s southern parts.

A senior WRD official told TNIE that the river starts at Adanur near Tambaram and flows through Mannivakkam, Varadharajapuram, Mudichur, and Manapakkam before it drains into the sea. It runs for a distance of 42 km and carries surplus water from several waterbodies in the Kancheepuram district. However, the river is too narrow at some points.

“Lack of proper drainage channels severely affectes places between Thiruneermalai and Anagaputhur. Hence, WRD chalked out a plan to raise walls and strengthen bunds as well as widen banks from 60 to 200 feet,” the official added. 

For this, WRD has already acquired 20.5 acres of land. The total project is Rs 70.05 crore. Of this, the department has spent nearly `35 crore on land acquisition, the official said.