Park to rise along B-Canal in Chepauk, with restored navigational locks

In Chepauk, along Swami Sivananda Salai beside the Buckingham Canal, a riverfront makeover is taking shape. The site hosts old heritage navigational locks, whose iron is chipping away from the salty air, while coffee-coloured sand is being piled up to form a new plateau.

Tipper lorries haul away dredged material and a JCB levels it, creating a neat terrace that will host the new park and walkway as part of the beautification project. Dredged material comes from the desilting work being carried out by the Water Resources Department on a 7.3-km stretch of the Buckingham Canal, from Swami Sivananda Salai to Raja Annamalai Puram.

The sand being collected is intended for use in river-front development and beautification efforts along this stretch. The initiative, driven by the Deputy Chief Minister’s office, explored a section from Swami Sivananda Salai to Chepauk MRTS to identify space suitable for the development. This area was settled upon because it checked all the boxes the team was looking for, with a planned park and a walkway among the features.

Officials also outlined a plan to restore the navigational locks found on this section in a way that preserves their originality while making them functional once again as navigational locks. The restoration aligns with broader efforts to return the Buckingham Canal to its original character as a navigational route for watercraft. Stone masonry is central to these locks, and the iron materials will need to be re-fabricated and refitted as part of the process.

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