Cooum River

The Cooum River (Tamil: கூவம் ஆறு), is an urban river which ends in the city of Chennai (formerly Madras) draining into the Bay of Bengal. Along with the Adyar River running parallel to the south, the river trifurcates the city and separates Northern Chennai from Central Chennai.

The name of Cooum appears to be derived from Tamil literature. The word "coovalan" denotes a person who is well versed in the science of ground water, well water and stagnant water. The river is also considered to be the shortest classified river draining into the Bay of Bengal and is only about 65 km (40 mi) long. Its source is in a place by the same name 'Cooum' or 'Koovam' in Tiruvallur district adjoining Chennai district. In Chennai district, the river flows through three corporation zones – Kilpauk, Nungambakkam and Triplicane – for a total length of 16 km.^[1]

History

Once this river was said to have its origin in Dharmapuri district, but now due to some earth table changes, it has shortened its course to Thiruvallur district. As recent as thirty years ago, recreational boats were available for leisure boating. The annual tourism exhibition used to take tourists in the waterways until 1985. Ancient documents from the nearby temples states about one 'reaching salvation' on having a dip in the Cooum. The Cooum river was then clean and unpolluted. Cooum is presently a river spoiled by filth and pollution, and the water quality is considered to be highly toxic and completely non-potable. The 2004 tsunami cleaned the mouth of the river; however, the river returned to its usual polluted self within a short period.

Origin

The Cooum River originates in a village of the same name, about 70 km (43 mi) away from Chennai. Once a fresh water source, it is today a drainage course inside the city of Chennai, collecting surpluses of 75 small tanks of a minor basin. The total length of the river is about 65 km (40 mi). The river flows to a length of 40 km (25 mi) in the Chennai Metropolitan Area, of which 16 km (9.9 mi) fall within the Chennai district limits. The total catchment area of the river is about 400 km² and the bed width ranges from 40 to 120 m. The capacity of the river is 19,500 m³/s, and the anticipated flood discharge is around 22,000 m³/s.^[2] Once a fishing river and boat racing ground, it has borne the brunt of the city's unplanned explosion. The Kesavaram dam diverts the river into the Chembarambakkam Lake from which water is utilized for the supply of drinking water to the city of Chennai. Thereafter, the flow of water in the river is much reduced.

Two ancient Shiva temples are located at the source of the river. The first is Tiruvirkolam, in Cooum village, and the other is at Ilambaiyankottur. These temples have been featured in the Thevaram sung by the Saivite saint Thirugnanasambandar. There is one more temple called the Veerebathrasami temple. The god in the temple is otherwise known as "Akoramoorthy". This temple is at Pillayarkuppam, 2 km (1.2 mi) from Cooum village. In ancient Tamil Nadu, under the Chola Empire, the river Cooum was referred to as Kashtabudhyotpathihi. They all form a group of villages called "padhinaru nattham". The river drains into the Bay of Bengal at Chepauk in Chennai marking the northernmost boundary of the famous Marina Beach. The delta also marks the southern boundary of the Port of Chennai.

Islets and the river mouth

The major islet in the course of the river is the Island Grounds in Chennai less than a kilometre before the mouth of the river. The river splits into two near Chinthadripet and encircles a piece of land isolating it from the surrounding land before draining into the eastern sea. However, the mouth of the river is not too wide and do not have any islet. The river mouth has groynes running to a total length of nearly 250 m. The opening between the groynes is about 170 m which is to facilitate tidal action. The impact of high tide bringing in sea water is felt for nearly 3 km in the river. At present, the river has to be periodically cleaned to prevent sand deposits near the river mouth, close to the Napier bridge, which are removed at frequent intervals using at least two machines to facilitate tidal action and avoid flooding. About 80,000 cubic metres of sand were removed in 2010-2011.^[3]

Pollution

The river is narrow, placid, slow and meandering. The study of the river was undertaken as part of a World Bank-funded project and shows that it is 80% more polluted than treated sewer. Public Works Department sources said government agencies like Chennai Corporation and Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board and business units and retail outlets on the banks of the Cooum were responsible for the pollution. The water has almost no dissolved oxygen, and instead there are traces of heavy metals like copper, besides sewage and sludge. Due to its narrowness and about 3,500 illegal hutments along its banks, it has not been recently desilted, which has closed it to river traffic.

Nearly 30 per cent of the estimated 55 million litres of untreated sewage being let into the waterways of Chennai daily, including by Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, gets into the Cooum river. About 60 per cent of the untreated sewage gets into the Buckingham Canal and the Adyar River takes the rest. In 2010, about 340 sewage outfalls into the waterways were identified. Of them, more than 130 sewage outfalls were in the Cooum River and a majority of them were between Aminjikarai and Nungambakkam.^[4] In some of the spots in areas such as Maduravoyal, more that 7 tonnes of municipal solid waste is being dumped in the river every day.^[5]

Cleanup

In December 2009, the state government had formed the Chennai River Authority to clean up the 72-kilometre (45 mi) stretch of Cooum River within 10 years.^[6]

In 2010, the Tamil Nadu government signed an MoU with Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SEC), a Singapore agency for the restoration project. The agency prepared a preliminary report after discussions with various stake holders of the project including Chennai Corporation, municipal administrations, Metrowater, Pollution Controld Board, Slum Clearance Board and the public works department.

There is currently a project funded by World Bank to clean up this river. The World Bank has approved Rs 22.41 crore for the Cooum restoration project towards development of its irrigation potential.^[7] Improving the irrigation efficiency of Cooum upstream is one of the main objectives of the project. The upper region of the Cooum, mainly Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur districts, will be benefiting from this special fund.

A team from Chennai has visited San Antonio in Texas to see how they successfully did the cleanup of a polluted river. The team comprised former Deputy Chief Minister M.K.Stalin,former Chennai Mayor M. Subramaniam and other senior officers. One of the city's dream projects is to clean up this river on or before 2020. The initiative has been taken up by the Central and State governments to clean up the river and rediscover the pleasures of traditional boat racing. The Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust (CRRT) has asked the Chennai Corporation to chalk out an action plan to remove construction debris dumped on the banks of the Cooum River.^[8]

The Water Resources Department (WRD) started flushing a 30-kilometre (19 mi) stretch of the Cooum in December 2010, initially discharging about 200 cu ft/s (5.7 m³/s) of surplus water from the Poondi reservoir into the river.^[9]

In September 2011, the WRD began cleaning the river at a cost of 10.2 million and the work is expected to be completed within a fortnight.^[4]

Other developments

A visitor centre near the mouth of the river on the Marina Beach, similar to the Marina Barrage Visitor Centre in Singapore and San Antonio Visitor Center in the United States, has been planned as part of an initiative to create awareness of the need for clean waterways.^[10]

In 2011, the Tamil Nadu Sailing Association planned to build a marina at the mouth of the Cooum river along the southern bank, where yachts and pleasure boats could dock. The 300-million project involves first building a breakwater in the sea so that the waters at the marina are placid and the boats do not keep bobbing up and down with the incursion of waves. However, the by-catch is a more important function—the breakwater will prevent silting and clogging of the mouth of the river, resulting in the waters flowing into the sea. The project is yet to get the approval of the State Government. The docking facilities will come on the river, but the other features of the project, such as a boat repair facility, a base for the Tamil Nadu Coastal Police, and sailing academy, will be put up on the bank.^[11]

A nature trail along the river has been proposed for which a draft ecological plan has been prepared by the Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure and Financial Services Limited (TNUIFSL). The project is planned from College Road bridge to Chetpet bridge by the Chennai River Restoration Trust in view of the biological diversity of the area which was undisturbed for decades. According to the draft ecological plan, floral species such as Indian almond, black wattle, sacred fig, madras thorn, Indian mulberry, neem, banyan, magizham, Indian cork tree, punnai, sirukkambil, karumugai, shenbagam, bayur tree, kadamba, pavazha malli, vetiver grass, palmorasa, agave, lemon grass and subabul would be part of species along the nature trail which would play a role in erosion management. The nature trail would be based on an "elevated boardwalk" model with "uncompressed natural wood" and "fibre reinforced plastic". The entry and exit would be on College Road near the DPI complex. Apart from the parking facilities on the DPI premises, a stretch along the road between the entry point and the College Road Bridge would be demarcated for additional parking. Five points located at 200 m intervals along the trail have been selected for erecting breakout areas including one for a canopy walk. The facility has been planned without electrical fittings and has been designed as a "day trail".^[12]

Occasional Water Flows

During the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, the empty waterway enabled it to take in much of the incoming ocean water. Some say this would not have been possible had the river been in full flow.

In November 2005, three days of torrential rains flushed out the waste and cleaned up the river, and the river looked clear for a brief period. Egrets and cormorants too were cited flocking the river to feast on fish.^[13] The river discharged the floodwater at a rate of about 21,500 m³/s.^[2]

References

External links

• District Profile - Rivers
• Cooum River Pollution
• History of Cooum River
• The Cooum associated with sanctity