CHENNAI: State PWD officials have written to the Chennai district collector to demarcate the boundaries of the 48km Buckingham Canal in the city limits. This is a prelude to identifying the encroachments along its course, after which the ecological restoration work will begin.
A senior PWD official said once the demarcation is completed, notices can be sent and encroachers evicted. The demarcation work is expected to begin within the next fortnight but it will take at least a year to identify all the encroachments along the canal’s banks, the official said.
Once this was done, a detailed project report will be prepared for taking up ecological restoration of the canal. The whole process would take a couple of years, the official said.
Construction of elevated MRTS railway stations from Chepauk to Tiruvanmiyur stations had reduced the width of this water body, which was already faced the problem of encroachment, said an official.
Release of untreated sewage by encroachers over the past 50 years had polluted the water body and its ecological restoration will need enormous effort, said a biodiversity researcher.
The Greater Chennai Corporation had started a cleanup of the western portions of the canal and planned walking paths, parks and play areas for children. The canal was developed by the British to transport goods cheaply. It fell into disuse with road and rail networks being built.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/move-to-identify-encroachers-on-buckingham-canal-in-chennai/articleshow/86056539.cms
