Cooum gets another chance.

Nearly four years after the Integrated Cooum River Eco-Restoration Project abruptly stopped, the government has once again revived the ambitious project to clean the city's key - and highly polluted - waterway.

The municipal administration and water supply department recently issued an order sanctioning Rs. 604.77 crore to implement over 60 short-term projects.

First, the Water Resources Department (WRD) will begin a biometric survey to enumerate over 14,257 families living along the banks in various areas. Once the survey is completed, the encroachments will be removed.

The funds sanctioned this fiscal also includes Rs. 181.85 crore for the rehabilitation and resettlement of residents in tenements at Perumbakkam and Ezhil Nagar, said officials of WRD.

Besides dredging and widening of the river, the new component in this revived project is the formation of a 25-km-long baby canal, built of stone, in the middle of the river.

This will ensure water flow in the river is maintained throughout the year.

The project will be implemented by various government departments. While WRD will take up work to desilt and ensure flow in the river, Metrowater will construct small sewage treatment plants to treat raw sewage that otherwise enters the river. The revenue department will facilitate resettlement.

Nearly Rs. 186.19 crore has been allotted to build modular plants in various areas. The first one, with a capacity to treat 10 million litres of sewage daily, will come up on Langs Garden Road in Pudupet.

'We plan to treat and reuse the sewage. While five mld will be given to the Chennai Corporation to maintain its parks and for landscaping along the river, the remaining volume will be supplied to Southern Railway,' said an official.

At present, sewage that collects on Langs Garden Road is sent to the Kodungaiyur plant. There are plans to set up three more plants with one mld capacity each, in Nungambakkam, Nolambur and Chetpet, where sewage pollution is more.

To prevent sewage from being directly dumped into the river through lorries and stormwater drains, pipelines will be laid along the river in 10 areas, including in Aminjikarai and Chepauk.

These pipelines will intercept the drains and transfer sewage to the nearest treatment plant. Tenders will be floated this month-end, the official said.


THE HINDU