COOUM RESTORATION: WILL CHENNAI

SOON SEE THE RIVER RESTORED  ..

CAN THE RIVERS IN CHENNAI REGAIN ITS

LIFE BACK…?

By
VR ARCHITECTS
COOUM RESTORATION & RIVERFRONT DEVELOPMENT
Several Issues that need to be addresses to ensure
that the new Cooum restoration.
• Cooum should flush our naturally
• Better sewage treatment needed
• Awarnesscampaigns most important

https://
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/cooum-restora
tion-will-chennai-soon-see-the-river-restored-to-its-pristi
ne-glory/articleshow/59573646.cms

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COOUM RESTORATION & RIVERFRONT DEVELOPMENT

Synopsis…!
 How was the cooum before…?
 How it got destroyed…?
 How it looks like now…?
 Why it is still not cleaned….?
 How can this be cleaned….?

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 RIVERS IN CHENNAI

 The Cooum River.

 The Adayar River.
 The Kosasthalayar River.

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 THE ANCIENT COOUM

 In ancient days the Cooum river was named as

“komaleeshwar river”.
 Then it was named “Triplicane river” finally after few
years it was named “The Cooum River”, from a Tamil
term “Coopam”.
 River starts in Cooum village in Thiruvallur district.
 Length of the river is “72 km” in which “32 km” flows
through the interior parts of the Chennai city.

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“Taking a dip in Cooum was considered as a way of reaching salvation…..!”

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CURRENT SCENARIO

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 HOW IT GOT DESTROYED….!

 Other than the normal things like disposal of wastes, there

is a major reason for the destruction of cooum.
 Formation of sand bars/dunes at the mouth of the river
where it joins the sea.
 Due to this formation the movement of the river is
completely restricted the flow and this is the reason for
the cooum river remains stagnated.
 So…what is the reason for the formation of the
dunes…….?

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 The Chennai harbor…..!
 The Bay of Bengal has an unique way of moving coastal
sand in a
clock wise pattern. This is called “Littoral drift”.
 The Chennai harbor, an artificial harbor, is nothing but a
long wall
built into the sea from the coast. So the sand which was to
move
further north of Chennai Port, started getting accumulated
south
of it.
 This can be seen at the Napier bridge where the mouth of
the
cooum river meets the bay of Bengal.

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Marina beach…..!

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Effect of the sand dunes…!
This has led to the restriction of the flow of the Cooum river.

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The Buckingham canal…!

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The Buckingham canal….!
 It is one of the longest canal built by the British people
during the 18th and the 19th centuries.
 The total length of the canal is 796 km, running from
Andhra Pradesh to Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu.
 In Tamil Nadu it is divided into two parts the north and
the south Buckingham canal.
 In Chennai the canal runs to length of 31 km.

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Purpose of the canal…!
 In the 19th century the Buckingham canal and the cooum
river were considered as the major mode of transport.
 People used to transport wooden logs, food and mainly
salt
 Salt was the mostly transported goods through the canal
and that is why it was called “uppu kalvai”.
 It was also used by the people to do their domestic
activities, and also it was a tourist spot at that time.

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What happened to the canal…!
 In the 1976, due to a cyclone the canal was completely
destroyed.
 In Chennai the canal is badly polluted from sewage and
industrial effluents, and the silting up of the canal has left
the water stagnant.
 It is now an attractive habitat for malaria-spreading
mosquitoes.
 The North Chennai Thermal Power station (NCTP)
discharges hot water and fly ash into the canal.

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The condition of the canal now…!

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Did you know….?
 The Buckingham canal and the Coovam river were once a
life saver.
 During 2004, the tsunami in Chennai, if there wasn’t the
Buckingham canal present, the impact of tsunami could
have been worse.
 Similarly if the Buckingham canal was in a good condition
during 2015, the flood could have easily tackled.
 Thus it has saved and could have saved many lives.

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How can we clean the river and the
canal…!
 1. Dredging the floating wastes.

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How can we clean the river and the
canal…!
 2. slum clearance along the river.

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How can we clean the river and the
canal…!
 3. Removal of the sand bars/dunes…!

Sand dunes

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How can we clean the river and the
canal…!
 Stop disposing the sewage into the river directly.

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Innovative ideas…!
 Introducing “Trash booms…!”

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Composting toilets…!
 They are special type of toilets,
which evaporates the liquid
wastes and converts the human
excreta into useful fertilizers.
 This can only be implemented into
the future structures.

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Reusing the human urine…!
 Human urine is rich in Nitrogen,
Phosphorus and potassium
which are the essential minerals
for fertilizers.
 Properly planned separation of
liquid from the sewage should be
implemented.
 Urine + baking soda + water =
99% organic fertilizer.

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Public awareness and co-
operation…!
 “River Thames” was one similar to cooum, but now it has
regained its life back only because of the co-operation of
the people and the government.

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Steps taken by the
government…!
 The government has currently taken a
step restore and rejuvenate a portion
of the Buckingham canal for a stretch
of “3.5 km”
 And the government wants
the opinion of the public
and the students…!

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STP

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Since we have destroyed our community it our duty
To bring back its original beauty…!
When the people abroad can clean Thames why
cant we clean our own Cooum….?
“All we need is the power of the students especially
the civil engineers”
“When we can solve, jallikattu, sterlite…..!
Why cant we raise up for our Cooum…?
Not by protests but by talents and ideas
also by the co-operation of each and every
students and the people….!”

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Lets bring back cooum before 2025……..!
Nothing is impossible when we think its possible…!

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