A view of the Site in Vada Nemmeli along ECR where former Chief Minister M.K. Stalin laid the foundation to create the Mamallan reservoir. (File photo)
| Photo Credit: SRINATH M
More than 50 organisations and residents’ welfare associations, particularly those from the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) corridor, along with 1,100 citizens, have petitioned the Chief Minister seeking the scrapping of the proposed Mamallan reservoir project.Residents said the project was being justified as a means of meeting the drinking water needs of OMR, but argued that it could instead damage the Kovalam-Nemmeli salt marsh, affect livelihoods and increase flood risks in the surrounding areas.Bhuwana Raj of Sholinganallur said OMR residents had been seeking piped drinking water for more than two decades, even as water pipelines passing through the area supplied other parts of the city. “We do not want our name to be used to justify an ecological disaster,” she said, adding that the proposed reservoir could destroy habitat used by more than 200 local and migratory bird species.The project has already faced opposition from fishing communities, environmental groups and experts, who have raised concerns over its ecological impact and the adequacy of studies on seawater and rainwater flooding.Harsha Koda, co-founder of the Federation of OMR Residents’ Welfare Associations (FOMRRA), said OMR’s residential areas lay between the Pallikaranai marshland and the Nemmeli wetlands and were already vulnerable to flooding. He said the reservoir could further increase the vulnerability of areas such as Sholinganallur, Perumbakkam, Navalur, Siruseri and Thalambur, which drain through the Pallikaranai catchment.They called for the government to focus instead on protecting existing water bodies, preventing encroachments and promoting rainwater harvesting. They also sought a transparent water allocation policy and scientifically planned drinking water projects that do not compromise wetlands and natural drainage channels. Published - August 22, 2026 12:51 am IST
