Chennai

WATERBODIES
Three rivers in Chennai:

1. Kosasthalaiyar/
Kortalayar river
2. Coovum
3. Adyar

Pallikaranai wetland

Buckingham canal

Lakes of Chennai

Waterbodies in Chennai
Origin – near pallipet in thiruvallur District.  Its northern ributary Nagari river originates
in Chitoor and joins the main river in the back waters of Poondy dam. 
Destination – Ennore creek
There are two check dams across the river at Tamaraipakkam and Vallur

KOSASTHALAIYAR RIVER
The total catchment area of the river is 3,757 kilometres and the bed width ranges from 150 to 250 metres
The discharge capacity of the river is 110,000 cubic metres per second and the anticipated flood discharge
capacity is about 125,000 cubic metres per second.
Origin – Coovum in thiruvallur District.  
Destination – Bay of Bengal near Napier bridge
The shortest classified river draining into the Bay of Bengal. This river is about 72 km in length, flowing
32 km in the Urban part and the rest in rural part.
Along with the Adyar River running parallel to the south, the river trifurcates the city and separates
Northern Chennai from Central Chennai.

COOVUM RIVER
Origin – Chembarambakkam lake 
Destination – Adyar creek
The 42.5-kilometre (26.4 mi) long river contributes to the estuarine ecosystem of Chennai.
The river collects surplus water from about 200 tanks and lakes, small streams and the rainwater drains in the
city, with a combined catchment area of 860 square kilometres 
ADYAR RIVER
ADYAR ESTURY
 It flows for 24 kilometres in the Chennai Metropolitan Area including about 15 kilometres within the Chennai
District before draining into the sea.
The catchment area of the river is 530 square kilometres .Bed width ranges from 10.5 to 200 metres
The Adyar River originates from a tank
near Manimangalam village in
Sriperumbadur in Kanchipuram district,
but it is only when the water from the
Chembarambakkam lake joins the river
that the stream appears. The river then
flows through Tiruvallur and Chennai
and flows into the Bay of Bengal at
Adyar in Chennai.

The Full Tank Level is 85.40 ft

CHEMBARAMBAKKAM
LAKE
2001 2016

2001 2016

2001 2016
PALLIKARANAI MARSHLAND
PALLIKARANAI MARSHLAND
•5500 ha in 1956
•Catchment area is
235 [Link]
The land is connected
to 31 different water
bodies whose surplus
during monsoon
drain into the marsh
that would in turn
recharge the ground
water level.
•Temperature -35°C to 42°C during summer and 24°C to 34°C during winter.
•The annual rainfall received from the NE and SE monsoon is around 1300mm.
•Soil type -alluvium and granite gneiss.
•The topography of the swamp is such that it retains storage forming an aquatic ecosystem.
•Pallikaranai house 337 species of flora and fauna.
The hydrology of the
place is based on the
topography of the
plain which to a great
extent is a plain and
on a larger picture
the wetland is at an
average altitude of
5metres above sea
level.
548 hectares are classified under protected land under which 317 acres comes under
reserve forest area and 150 are transferred to forest department.
The canal runs approximately 1 km back from the
coastline. The Cooum River connects the canal to
the Bay of Bengal in the centre of Chennai. The
portion north of the Cooum is known as the North
Buckingham Canal, and the portion south of the
Cooum as the South Buckingham Canal. 257 km of
the canal is in Andhra Pradesh, and 163 km is in
Tamil Nadu. Approximately 31 km is within the
city limits of Chennai.

BUCKINGHAM CANAL
The Canals in the North and the Central drainage Basin

Otteri Nullah
10.2 km in CMA
Otteri Nullah is a channel to
accommodate flood, which
originates from a place called
Otteri near Padi, flows
through the city at Anna
nagar, Kilpauk,
Purasawalkam and Perambur
and joins Buckingham canal
near Basin Bridge running in
east-west direction
The captain cotton canal is
adjacent to the kodungaiyurdump
yard and sewage treatment plant.
The surplus course of the
Vyasarpadi area known as
Captain Cotton Canal drain into
North Buckingham Canal.
Other major lakes (waterbodies) in chennai:

Ambattur lake
Chitlapakkam lake
Chetpet lake
Korattur lake
Manali lake
Mangal lake
Porur lake
Retteri lake
Velachery lake

Major reservoirs in chennai:

Cholavaram lake(881 mcft)

LAKES IN CHENNAI
SPUR TANK

LOST LAKES IN CHENNAI