This year, the Cholavaram reservoir will be able to store water to its full capacity as the first phase of work to strengthen the critical portions of its bund will be completed in a fortnight. The Water Resources Department (WRD) has completed major components of the work to improve the bund through a ₹40-crore project.
The Cholavaram reservoir in Tiruvallur district is one of the five major reservoirs used to store drinking water for Chennai. Spread over 5.42 sq.km, it serves as a balancing reservoir between the Tamaraipakkam anicut and the Red Hills reservoir. Built during British rule prior to 1871, the waterbody currently has a storage of only 157 million cubic feet against its original capacity of 1,081 mcft. The WRD expects the waterbody to be filled during the Northeast monsoon.
A portion of the bund had suffered damage on several occasions, including in 2014, 2015, and 2017. It may be recalled that the bund suffered severe damage during Cyclone Michaung in 2023.
WRD officials said of the total bund length of 3.57 km, work had been completed to strengthen its 1.04-km critical portion to prevent erosion and ensure dam stability. A diaphragm wall — a concrete wall measuring 6 m in depth near the bund — was one of the main components built as part of the project to reinforce the bund and arrest seepage. While this will protect the bund from erosion, a wave deflector wall has also been built to prevent damage caused by wave action when the reservoir reaches its full capacity.
