Vegetation, garbage, etc from Buckingham canal cleared by these machines
Posted on: 04/Nov/2019 9:33:01 AM
The amphibian machine belonging to the GCC or Greater Chennai Corporation is now making huge noises.
For the past 3 weeks, the amphibian machine has been utilized by GCC to clear vegetation, floating garbage and other debris from the Buckingham canal. As a preventive step for the floods, the stretch of the water body between Okkium Maduvu till Kalaignar Karunanidhi Salai was cleared. An official belonging to the corporation of Chennai spoke about how the operation had come in handy ahead of the rains that lashed Chennai city a week back.
Public Works Department or PWD is responsible for the de-silting and removal of water hyacinths in the entire length of the canal. This was according to a senior official of GCC. He explained how the amphibian machine of GCC has been used to clear the vegetation from Okkium Maduvu to KK Salai Bridge as the area is a routine bottleneck and how free the inflow of rainwater is prevented.
It must be noted that the Buckingham canal is under the control of PWD and the civic body maintains 30 canals on the whole. About a month and a half, de-silting works were started using robotic excavators and amphibian machines got from Finland.
It was mentioned that clearing of water hyacinths would be carried out in the major canals of the civic body such as Captain Cool Canal, Mambalam Canal, Kodungaiyur Canal, etc. Information is even in the nights, machines have been used. Clearing vegetation in the canals and in the drains has been carried out by the PWD.
Sewage must not enter into the canal and for this both PWD as well as GCC must take enough measures. This was according to some residents.
Presently, flood mitigation is given priority and this was according to the officials of the Chennai Corporation. As per a senior official belonging to GCC, it is clear that there is a proposal to ecologically restore Mambalam, Reddykuppam and Nandanam canals and the project would start in a couple of months. Reclaiming the waterways is very important and for this similar initiatives would be undertaken. This was confirmed by a senior official of GCC.
