Tamil Nadu has moved towards a phased restoration of the Cooum river in Chennai, with Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay directing officials to bring in global technical expertise and prepare a detailed project report before inviting international tenders.
Vijay reviewed the preparation of the DPR, proposed facilities and the process for securing global technical support during a meeting on Tuesday. He instructed officials to pursue the restoration in phases and adopt an integrated approach combining ecological improvement, public amenities and riverfront development.
The State government had identified river restoration as a priority in its 2026-27 Budget and announced that a DPR would be prepared for the Cooum. As part of the initial planning exercise, three-kilometre stretches of the river have been selected for detailed study.
The proposed interventions include pedestrian and cycling tracks, riverside walkways, viewing decks, green spaces, community facilities and nature-based environmental improvement measures. The broader restoration exercise is also expected to address sewage interception, water quality, recreational spaces and flood-mitigation infrastructure.
The plan comes after successive efforts to clean the Cooum produced limited results despite substantial public spending, according to the report. The latest proposal therefore links river restoration with the surrounding public realm rather than treating the river only as a channel requiring cleaning.
The government had earlier said that global consultants would be engaged to prepare feasibility and project reports for the Cooum and Adyar rivers. The immediate task is to finalise the DPR, concept plans and action plans before global tendering and phased implementation begin.
Ahead of the monsoon, the Water Resources Department has also undertaken maintenance and desilting work on the Cooum. Chief Secretary M Sai Kumar and senior officials attended the review meeting. The next formal milestones are the completion of the DPR and the subsequent tendering process.
