Chennai Canal Clutter Raises Public Health Fears
Chennai’s Ekangipuram canal, a crucial drainage link in the city’s northern neighbourhoods, has deteriorated sharply as plastic waste and uncollected garbage continue to choke its flow. Residents living along the Perambur stretch, particularly beneath the Murasoli Maran flyover, warn that the waterway’s decline is now posing both environmental and public health risks to thousands of households.
The canal acts as a key stormwater conduit for Villivakkam, ICF, Ayanavaram and Perambur, carrying excess rainwater towards the Otteri Nullah via the Captain Cotton Canal. However, years of unmanaged dumping and weak waste-collection practices have turned the channel into a sluggish, polluted stream, altering the way it functions during monsoon spells. Residents say that what was once a reliable drainage line now behaves more like an open dump. Local households allege that gaps in waste management particularly after a recent change in private contractors have worsened the situation. A resident from Rajiv Gandhi Nagar noted that door-to-door collection routines became irregular, prompting some people to discard household waste directly into the canal. Portions of the canal’s retaining wall have also collapsed, exposing the waterway to further encroachment and making maintenance more difficult.
Urban planners say that such failures are not isolated but indicative of a broader challenge across Chennai’s older neighbourhoods, where infrastructure designed decades ago has not kept pace with the city’s growth. “A canal system built for a smaller population cannot withstand modern waste loads unless governance keeps up,” said an urban water-management specialist. Experts added that clogged water bodies restrict the city’s ability to handle intense rainfall, undermining climate resilience efforts. Residents also report frequent release of untreated sewage into the canal, a long-standing issue in several mixed-use urban pockets. Social groups working in Perambur argue that this practice not only degrades the environment but reinforces inequalities, as low-income settlements situated near polluted waterways are often the first to face mosquito-related diseases and seasonal flooding. Despite periodic inspections by elected representatives, residents say visible improvements have been rare.
The canal receives a mechanical cleaning only once in several months, leaving plastic bags, styrofoam packaging and organic waste floating throughout the year. Mosquito breeding has surged in the past two monsoon cycles, prompting calls for more transparent and accountable maintenance schedules. Environmental experts emphasise that Chennai’s waterways—whether canals, drains or marshlands need to be treated as vital public assets rather than peripheral infrastructure. Restoring them, they argue, is essential for creating climate-ready, equitable and inclusive urban systems. For residents of Perambur, swift action cannot come soon enough. With the northeast monsoon intensifying and urban flooding becoming a recurring hazard, they hope for a long-term solution that balances solid-waste management, waterway protection and public health.
Chennai Canal Clutter Raises Public Health Fears
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