Corporation officials say they will help restore the low-lying area into a proper waterbody if they receive permission from the Directorate of Technical Education, who own the land.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Residents have complained about land reclamation in the Kallukuttai lake, located near a Ramsar Site in the southern part of the city, where the Public Works Department (PWD) has been filling the area with soil.On Sunday, residents flagged the issue on social media, pointing to the delay in stopping the work by government departments and civic agencies, including the PWD and the Greater Chennai Corporation.Velachery resident S. Kumararaja said: “The PWD has filled soil across more than 25 acres of the waterbody, which is part of a Ramsar Site of the Pallikaranai marshland. We complained about it to the Greater Chennai Corporation a few weeks ago, and said the flood risk in Velachery would increase because of the work. Civic officials promised that they would address the issue.”Filled with sand“Sand has been filled into a portion of the marshland, and the Kallukuttai waterbody is being closed by the PWD for the Dr. Ambedkar Law University. The area is located on the road connecting the Taramani MRTS road with the Velachery MRTS station,” he added.Owing to the work, the flood risk is high in ward 177 and 178. Residents of Velachery Annai Indira Nagar Welfare Association and Federation of Velachery Welfare and Green Velachery have demanded that the State government stop the work.N. Mathavan, a disaster management expert who was formerly with Chennai Corporation, said the work is expected to increase flood risk in Velachery. “A government department should not do any work that increases flood risk in the city. Velachery will be flooded if the work is not stopped,” he said.GCC officials said they were ready to help restore the low-lying area into a proper waterbody, provided they receive permission from the Directorate of Technical Education, which owns the land. Published - June 01, 2026 05:00 am IST
