Residents appeal to WRDto improve initial stretch of Thanikachalam Nagar drain
Residents in north Chennai are urging the Water Resources Department to expedite the widening of the Thanikachalam Nagar drain to prevent flooding. While most of the channel has been upgraded, a 750-metre stretch remains narrow and prone to overflow during heavy rains.
Why it matters
Infrastructure delays in urban drainage systems directly impact the flood resilience of densely populated residential areas.
Residents of north Chennai have urged the Water Resources Department (WRD) to expedite the improvement of the initial stretch of the Thanikachalam Nagar drain to reduce flooding in areas around Madhavaram and Retteri.
While a major portion of the Thanikachalam drain, which carries surplus water from Kolathur and Retteri lakes, was upgraded last year at a cost of ₹91.36 crore, residents noted that the work on the initial 750-metre portion of the channel is pending. The channel is only 10 metres wide now and stormwater drains from various localities such as Ambattur and Korattur are also linked to the channel, which finally flows into the Kodungaiyur drain.
T.K. Shanmugam, president, the Federation of North Chennai Residents Welfare Associations, said the inadequate carrying capacity has led to flooding in various wards of Madhavaram and Kolathur during heavy rainfall.
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