The Valmiki River also know as the Adyar river is something most of us are familiar with. No matter where we travel, we will at some time come across it. It is that big a river and quite a popular one and it had a picturesque view. Originating near the Chembarambakkam Lake in the district of Kanchipuram, it is a 42.5 km long river that provides for the estuarine ecosystem of Chennai. It starts from the Malaipattu tank in the village of Manimangalam, which is a part of the Chembarambakkam lake, situated about 15 kilometres to the west of Tambaram in the South of Chennai, and joins the Bay of Bengal at the Adyar Estuary.

History of the River

        The river starts at Manimangalam (a place between Vandalur and Chembarambakkam), and the water from the lake joins the river near Thirumudivakkam. It flows into the Bay of Bengal, at a place called Adyar.“Actually, it was not called Adyar till about 100 years ago. The British used to call it Chengalpattu river as it came from the direction of Chengalpattu. Also, there is one temple near Ramapuram and an inscription there refers to the river as the Vanmiki river. 


        Till the early part of the ’50s and '60s, the river was widely used for travelling, sightseeing and other recreational boating activities. Travelling in boats used to be a major transport mode, especially during the ’40s in this river.  It runs through, Adyar, Kotturpuram, Saidapet, Jafferkhanpet and Manapakkam. 

        During the '1840s, the Elphinstone bridge, being the first bridge to be constructed in Chennai was built across the river, which connected the South of Madras to Santhome and Mylapore. There was no other bridge along the Adyar river, before its construction, except the causeway known as Marmalong Bridge, now called Maramalai Adigalar Bridge. The strip of land on the north bank of the Adyar was one of the principal European areas of residence and fine houses were built on its banks by Company officials in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Unlike now, it used to be one of the cleanest waters to travel in, which was free from pollution and dumping of chemicals.

Adyar River Now

        The river is almost a dead one today, with almost no water or a polluted one. Flowing through the heart of Chennai, they carry dangerous pollutants and sewage. It is considered to be a dead one, as it is incapable of sustaining any form of life, be it aquatic beings or plants. The increase in the pollution level leads to the depletion of the oxygen levels in the water. Similarly, almost two-thirds of the total sewage that is generated drains into the river, without being treated. Sandbars block their mouth into the sea, which obstructs even the tidal flushing action from the latter.

        Freshwater runs through only during the monsoon season, which gets filled by the rainwater. There are occurrences, where, due to the heavy rains, the river gets filled up, and the water is released to the other rivers, like how the Chembarambakkam lake was released which in turn, caused the 2015 floods.

Adyar River Restoration

        The restoration of this river is a very important and challenging project for the government. The Chennai River Restoration Trust (CRRT) coordinates the work between various government departments, such as the Public Works Department (PWD), the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (Chennai Metro Water), Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) and some NGOs who are involved in this project. Adyar Poonga was formed to facilitate the activities of the trust. 

        Billions of Money were involved in this project for restoring and cleaning water bodies in Tamil Nadu. The government expressed its concern over the amount of raw sewage flowing through the river and allocated this amount mainly to clean the drains which empty into the river. There are two major issues for the river getting polluted, one is the occupants in the river backs and the other is sewages drains.

        One of the first issues which had to be undertaken in restoring the river was rehousing human settlements along the banks, according to an official source who wished to remain anonymous. The resettlement and rehabilitation of the people living along the river banks were undertaken by the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB). 


        Of the 47 slums identified, 27 were within the project area from where families were to be resettled. There was 9539 project affected families who were part of the resettlement and rehabilitation plan and have been shifted to tenements newly constructed by the TNSCB.

        According to an official source, the second issue is the pollution in the river that increases once it enters Chennai near Porur. It is said that 67 sewage outfalls into the Adyar river were identified. To plug these outfalls, it was necessary to lay interception and diversion pipelines and this task is being undertaken by the Chennai Metro Water. The project will reach completion in 2022, according to Chennai River Restoration Trust (CRRT). 


        The Chennai River Restoration Trust (CRRT) is also planning to set up four modular sewage treatment plants (STPs). The Greater Chennai Corporation has started to put fences along the river to prevent the garbage from dumping into the river. The steps are also taken to clean up and restore Adyar Creek by desilting and removal accumulated solid waste were taken up and the same were used to create mounds within the creek to enable plantation, reduce noise pollution and bring tranquillity to the restored wetland system.


Adyar River in Future

        Governmental spending to restore the Adyar had begun in the 1990s, and projects were initiated over multiple time periods. Though there is a huge hope in recent years, there is more to be achieved before the city dwellers can start seeing the river as a usable water body rather than a drain. It is complex, as it involves so many governmental departments, so many entities and finally, so many people. Hence it would take time – maybe four or five years even to finally restore the river.