Chennai: Govt agencies involved in construction of the Chennai Peripheral Ring Road (CPRR) in Tiruvallur must ensure that the road-laying work does not obstruct, divert or impede the natural flow of water into the Kannigaiper Lake, the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal has ordered.Stating that all design and execution work for the project must be carried out in accordance with technical and safety standards and proper departmental clearances, the Tribunal urged the concerned authorities to strictly adhere to the recommendations of the water resources department (WRD).The orders were passed on a case taken up suo motu by the bench in 2025 on a letter petition that a 280-metre stretch on the CPRR road, passing over the lake would obstruct natural flow of water, affect its storage and result in flooding risk of nearly 50 villages on the western side of the lake. The petitioners said the WRD had accorded a no-objection certificate (NOC) to the project without assessing the impact.However, the Tribunal pointed out that a report submitted by the Tamil Nadu Road Infrastructure Development Company stated that the project involved two components—a high-level structure for a length of 100 metres and an embankment for the remaining 180 metres. While the WRD had issued an NOC for the high-level structure, it had not sanctioned the embankment and suggested a separate structure for the embankment to prevent obstruction of water flow.Subsequently, the TNRIDC explored the feasibility of establishing such a structure. “As per the proposal, a span of 25 metres between each pier is contemplated, which will provide adequate clearance for uninterrupted flow of water,” the bench comprising Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and Prashant Gargava said, disposing of the petition.
