OMR residents say Mamallan reservoir could worsen floods

CHENNAI: More than 50 organisations, including residential welfare associations from Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), along with over 1, 100 citizens, have petitioned Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay seeking the scrapping of the proposed Mamallan Reservoir project, alleging it could worsen flooding and damage ecologically sensitive wetlands.

What happened

As the area continues to depend on private water tankers, the residents remarked they are being offered the project under the pretext of gathering OMR's drinking water needs. They alleged the reservoir would encroach upon the Kovalam-Nemmeli salt marsh and threaten a habitat supporting more than 200 resident and migratory bird species.

"An ecologically destructive project that increases flood risk and affects livelihood cannot be called sustainable water planning, " remarked Sholinganallur resident Bhuvana Raj.

Harsha Koda, co-founder of the Federation of OMR Residents' Associations, remarked residential areas in OMR lie between the Pallikaranai and Nemmeli wetland systems and cautioned that the project could aggravate the region's climate vulnerability.

The bottom line

In short, OMR residents say Mamallan reservoir could worsen floods is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.