CHENNAI: A PWD canal along the Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam radial road which was about 15 feet wide years ago has now shrunk to a width of five feet. Activists fear that the PWD is reducing the width of the canal to match the width of the canal opposite the road, which is fully encroached.
Civic activist David Manohar, who lives in Pallavaram, said the canal has been traditionally wide and is one of the main carriers of flood water to the Keelkattalai lake. “The surrounding areas were flooded in recent times because the canal had shrunk in size,” he said.
The canal is crucial in carrying flood water from the Tirusulam hills. Civic activist from Pallavaram V Santhanam said the PWD must remove the encroachments at the earliest and restore the canal to its full size.
“Every year, we are facing floods due to lack of width in waterways. The government has not taken note of this even in the big Pallavaram lake and other water bodies. The district collector must interfere in this and ensure the width is restored,” said Santhanam.
PWD officials said they were not reducing the width of the canal. “We will widen it to its full length before monsoon. We will also remove any encroachments on the canal,” the official said.
