Puckle Canal to be expanded for floodwater management in Thoothukudi

In a major initiative, Thoothukudi Corporation is set to widen the Puckle Canal, the city’s primary floodwater drain at a cost of ₹53 crore. The work is scheduled to commence in January 2026.

The project aims to widen the canal, eliminate sewage inflow and restore the waterway exclusively as floodwater drainage channel.

The seven kilometre canal runs entirely within Thoothukudi, beginning near the Food Corporation of India’s godown and draining into the Bay of Bengal at Therespuram. Built during the British era, the canal was named after R.K. Puckle, a visionary who played a key role in the construction of Sri Vaikuntam dam.

Originally designed to serve as a monsoon floodwater drainage channel, the canal gradually turned into a sewage carried over a period of time, due to rapid urbanisation and industrialisation of Thoothukudi.

In 2019, a major facelift of Puckle Canal was carried out at a cost of ₹78.88 crore under the Smart Cities Mission. This included the clearing of weeds, levelling and filling, construction of walkways and bicycle tracks on both sides of the canal. However, those cycling tracks and walkways largely become unusable, due to the excessive flow of sewage discharge into the Puckle Canal.

An official from the corporation said that the canal, which is currently six metres wide, will be expanded by an additional five meters.

“As of the current state, the capacity of the canal is 28-29 cusecs. However, during monsoon times, it carried around 50 cusecs. Once widened by five metres, it will be able to safely carry 50 cusecs of water,” the official added.

Mayor Jegan Periyasamy told The Hindu that the tender for the widening project is currently in the technical evaluation stage, and the work will be executed under an 18 months contract period.

He added sewage inflow into the canal from around 40 wards has already been completely halted and the remaining wards will be disconnected in future after the completion of Underground Drainage System work.

Mr. Jegan further noted that 14 vulnerable waste dumping points along the canal have been identified and CCTV cameras will be installed at these places to strengthen surveillance and prevent dumping.

“The core objective of canal widening, sewage disconnection and anti-dumping surveillance is to restore the Puckle Canal to its original purpose, as a dedicated floodwater drain carrying excess rainwater directly into the sea,” he said.