Flood escape channel from Buckingham Canal to sea awaits CRZ clearance

A project to construct a flood escape channel from the Buckingham Canal to the sea, near Uthandi on East Coast Road, to alleviate flooding in areas around the Pallikaranai marshland awaits clearance from Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority. Residents, however, raised concerns about the possibility of sewage pollution through the proposed channel.

The Water Resources Department (WRD) has proposed to construct the channel from Buckingham Canal to the sea to minimise flooding in the southern areas, including Velachery, Pallikaranai and Narayanapuram, whenever the marshland overflows. With the maximum carrying capacity of about 500 cubic feet per second (cusecs), the ₹91 crore channel aims to accelerate the draining of surplus water and reduce inundation in localities around the marshland.