Last summer, the Chennai Corporation council passed a resolution on the restoration of the heritage landscape along the river, including the proposal to spend Rs.100 crore on projects such as solid waste management and creation of parks.

Yet, a year later, this summer, management of solid waste in the river ecosystem continues to be a challenge. Delay in completion of major projects associated with the restoration is said to be the reason. As a result, certain measures that have been initiated to control the problem prove ineffective.

Boom barriers

To give an example, boom barriers have been erected at various parts of the river to trap solid waste. Huge amounts of such waste are being collected in the river near such boom barriers. But the waste is not being removed periodically. Moreover, a large number of residents and traders continue to dump municipal solid waste along the river in areas such as Mayor RamanathanSalai, polluting the waterway.

The delay in commissioning an aesthetically-designed heritage wall along the river to prevent dumping of waste is said to be one of the reasons for the continuing pollution of the river.

Following a resolution by the Chennai Corporation Council last summer, the civic body planned to restore the heritage landscape along the Cooumriver. The project, which included waste management, laying of footpaths and creation of parks, was expected to be implemented with assistance from the Heritage Conservation Committee of Chennai Metropolitan Area. The Corporation was expected to play a key role in laying a well-designed landscape around heritage buildings along the river. The civic body also floated bids for work on parks, footpaths and cycle tracks along the river. But the major components of the project failed to take off.

A planned exercise to reverse the damage caused by unplanned or haphazard urban development along the Cooum has also not taken off.

The Water Resources Department is likely to implement the main components shortly.