NHAI to remove temporary bunds along Cooum river before Oct. 10 to ensure free flow of water

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will remove from the Cooum river, a total of 238 temporary bunds used in the construction of the 20-km-long double decker elevated corridor linking Chennai Port and Maduravoyal. The work will be done before October 10. 

NHAI sources said this was to ensure the free flow of water in the river during the Northeast Monsoon. Last year, the contractor had removed such temporary bunds from 89 points.

“We will remove the bunds in phases, starting September 10. These are temporary platforms required to move machinery and material, since the river bed is soft and slushy. We have instructed the contractor to ensure that the work is carried out in time,” a source said.

At a meeting chaired by the Deputy Chief Minister Udhayaidhi Stalin on Tuesday, the NHAI said each bund, around 10 m long, would comprise around four lorries worth of earth.

Last year, the Southern bench of the National Green Tribunal had taken suo moto cognisance of the bunds, and directed the Water Resources Department and the NHAI to monitor the flow of water in the river.

Pillar-related construction cannot be carried out when the bunds are removed, shifting the focus of the work to the Koyambedu-Maduravoyal stretch, where 115 of the 125 pillars are being retrofitted.

“We will reinforce the pillars by adding another layer, and combine it with the extension to help carry the load of another corridor on top. The old pillar and the new layer would be connected. The pillars have been tested for their strength,” another official said.

Maduravoyal resident T. Ram Mohan said the project should be completed quickly as the work had narrowed down the road. “During peak hours, it takes an hour and a half for me to reach my office in Sriperumbudur,” he said.