Buckingham Canal

The Buckingham Canal is a 420 km long salt water navigation canal, running parallel to the Coromandel Coast of South India from the vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh to Villupuram District in Tamil Nadu. The canal connects most of the natural backwaters along the coast to the port of Chennai (Madras). It was constructed by the British Raj, and was an important waterway during the late nineteenth and the twentieth century.

Construction phases

The first segment of the canal was constructed in 1806, from Chennai north to Ennore. Subsequently, it was extended north to Pulicat Lake, 40 km north of Chennai. The canal was taken over by the government of Madras Presidency in 1837 and further extended, ultimately reaching 315 km north of Chennai to vijayawada on the Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh, and 103 km south of Chennai to Marakkanam in Tamil Nadu.

During 1877 and 1878 the people of Madras suffered from the terrible famine and more than 3 million people perished. The eight kilometre stretch, linking the Adyar and Cooum rivers, was built in 1877-78 at a cost of Rs.3 millions as a famine relief work. The canal was named the Buckingham Canal in 1878 because the link, was built on the orders of the then Governor, the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos.

Course of the canal

The canal runs approximately 1 km back from the coastline. The Cooum River connects the canal to the Bay of Bengal in the center 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 are in Andhra Pradesh, and 163 km are in Tamil Nadu. Approximately 31 km are within the city limits of Chennai.

Decline in usage

The canal was formerly used to convey goods up and down the coast to Chennai. The cyclones of 1965/1966 and 1976 damaged the canal, and it is presently little used and no longer maintained. Within the city of Chennai the canal is badly polluted from sewage and industrial effluent, and the silting up of the canal has left the water stagnant, creating an attractive habitat for malaria-bearing mosquitos. The North Chennai Thermal Power Station (NCTP) discharges hot water and fly ash into the canal as well. In agricultural areas South of Chennai the former tow path along the still scenic areas is still used for light motorcycle and bicycle traffic. On January 1 2001 the Government of India launched a project to prevent sewage outfalls into the canal and Chennai's other waterways, and to dredge the canal to remove accumulated sediment and improve water flow.

Within the city limits of Chennai much of the canal has been used as the route of the elevated Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS)

Effect of the tsunami

During the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the Buckingham Canal acted as a buffer zone and regulated the tsunami waves on the coastal region over nearly 310 km from Pedda Ganjam to Chennai. The canal all along the coast was filled with tsunami water, which overflowed at a few places and receded back to sea within 10-15 min. This helped save the lives of several fishermen, especially in coastal Andhra Pradesh and parts of Chennai city and also helped in clearing of the aquaculture debris. The natural growth of vegetation on either side of the canal, has had an effect in tsunami mitigation; for example in Vakadu Mandal at villages like Pudikappam, Srinivasapuram and Tudipalem, the damages were minimal.

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