Buckingham Canal

Why in News?

The Buckingham Canal is in focus due to a proposed plan to restore navigation in a 7.2-km central stretch in Chennai.

• The canal is also important for urban flood management, as a properly maintained canal can act as a flood carrier during heavy rainfall.

• Location – Runs along the east coast through Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
• Length – About 450 km — 250 km in Andhra Pradesh and 200 km in Tamil Nadu.
• Together with the Krishna and Godavari canal systems, it once formed a navigable network of about 650 km.
• Origin – Constructed in 1806 by Basil Cochrane and initially called the Cochrane Canal.
• Taken over by the government in 1837 and later called the East Coast Canal.
• Acquired the name Buckingham Canal in 1878, after the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos.
• Historical Importance
  • It served as an important inland water transport route, carrying firewood, paddy and other goods.
  • It connected Chennai with several places in present-day Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The canal once had 28 locks.
• The Navigation declined with the expansion of road and other transport systems.
• Decline concerns – These include
  • Sewage discharge
  • Industrial pollution
  • Reduced canal width
  • Encroachments and settlements
  • Lack of regular maintenance/desilting
  • MRTS structures along parts of the canal alignment have also reduced its width.
• Restoration Efforts
• Intensive desilting during 1996–2001 restored navigability in a 14-km southern stretch between Thoraipakkam and Muttukadu.
• In 2016, the Union government declared North Buckingham Canal (316 km), South Buckingham Canal (110 km) as parts of National Waterway-4.

Reference

The Hindu| Buckingham Canal