TN Proposes Rs 876-Crore Plan to Revive 7.2-km Central Buckingham Canal Stretch

The Tamil Nadu government is reviewing an Rs 876.35-crore plan to revive a 7.2-km stretch of the Central Buckingham Canal, spanning from Napier Bridge to the Adyar river, to make the channel navigable for passenger boats, floating restaurants, and cargo transport.

According to a Detailed Project Report prepared by the Tamil Nadu Water Investment Company Limited (TWIC), the proposal combines water transport with flood mitigation, sewage treatment, and commercial activity. The pilot project includes eight electric passenger boats, each capable of carrying 20 people at a tentative fare of Rs 50, alongside two floating restaurants. Additional plans cover walkways, retail spaces, parking facilities, cage fisheries, and mangrove restoration.

Restoring navigation in the 224-year-old canal involves addressing severe pollution and structural hurdles. A September 2023 survey recorded 19 sewage outfalls discharging an estimated 48.17 million litres of untreated sewage daily into this central stretch. Water tests revealed biochemical oxygen demand levels reaching up to 54 mg/l, well above the 5 mg/l target required for Class-D wildlife sustainability.

To clean the canal, the DPR outlines intercepting and diverting sewage from 17 outfalls into two new treatment facilities: a 43-MLD plant on Swami Sivananda Salai and an 8-MLD plant at Greenways Road. Aeration systems and floating wetlands are planned to keep treated water circulating, while lock gates at confluences with the Cooum and Adyar rivers will prevent backflow during floods.

Civil works will require dredging 2.05 lakh cubic metres of silt and rebuilding 11.6 km of flood walls. To bypass hydraulic bottlenecks and MRTS pillars that prevent conventional widening at Mandaveli and Greenways Road, engineers have proposed underground cut-and-cover drains alongside two straight-cut channels costing Rs 295.58 crore to reduce flood-affected areas by 45%.

The project also calls for rehabilitating 4,924 families living on 11.4 acres within the canal's right of way, at an estimated cost of Rs 107 crore.