Chennai, 1 October (H.S.) : After years of neglect and degradation, the Buckingham Canal is on the path to receiving a new lease of life with the Tamil Nadu Public Works Department (PWD) submitting a substantial proposal amounting to ₹2,388 crores. This project focuses on restoring a 167-kilometer stretch of the canal, extending from Pazhaverkadu to Marakkanam, with the aim of reviving its status as a functional waterway.

While the Buckingham Canal was once a key component of the national waterway network, its potential has been severely hampered by widespread pollution, encroachments, and insufficient depths. The restoration is viewed as a significant intervention for reducing urban traffic congestion, benefiting local commerce, and improving overall climate-adaptation capabilities in the region.

The detailed proposal, reported by The New Indian Express, outlines that the project will involve intensive desilting and dredging across the canal's entire length. The goal is to deepen the canal to a depth of one and a half to three meters and ensure a uniform width of forty meters. To advance the restoration process and finalize a detailed project report (DPR), the state government has sought an additional ₹20 crores in funding from the central government.

Following a recent appeal by the state's Industries Minister T R B Raaja to the Union Shipping Minister, the state is pushing for the canal's official designation as an inland waterway. This move is intended to unlock the canal’s potential for reducing traffic and improving flood mitigation.

Officials have also indicated that after observing the success of Kochi's water metro, Chennai is actively considering the launch of a water metro service to connect Kovalam and Napier Bridge along a 53-kilometer route. They stated that the foremost step for this project is the successful restoration and desilting of the Buckingham Canal between Napier Bridge and Kovalam, which would ensure smoother water flow and potentially attract tourists.

The state's broader proposals for national waterways also include significant stretches of the Cooum River near Marina Beach and the area linking Pulicat Lake and Ennore Port, in addition to the Buckingham Canal.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Dr. R. B. Chaudhary