There is a disturbing lack of familiarity on the part of our politicians and planners with the elegance, economies and advantages of developing our waterways for transportation. Developed countries like Germany and the US have succeeded in preserving their waterways clean even in crowded metros. How beautifully Chicago exploits its God-given river passing through the metro! Unending streams of tourists are taken along the river; well-informed guides provide interesting descriptions of the history of dozens of buildings on either side with such verve and passion! The cruise takes you through an interesting adjustment of the differing levels of the lake and the river through a lock. All these are, of course, money-spinners!

Hardly five decades ago, waterways criss-crossing Chennai – the Adyar and Cooum rivers and the Buckingham Canal, a few smaller canal systems, and a number of lakes in the suburbs – were precious God-given gifts that were put to good use. There were even cheap boat rides to Mahabalipuram on the Buckingham Canal!

In the 1970s, Chief Minister Karunanidhi dreamt of restoring the Cooum for navigation. He did take the initiative of cleaning up the river. But the raping of these waterways continued unabated with thoughtless sewage and industrial wastewaters let into them (including by our municipalities). The mass rapid transport system then almost destroyed the Buckingham Canal as a possible waterway.

The demands of the road system for commuting have resulted in a plan to construct an elevated high-speed corridor almost all along the Cooum, crossing the metro. Why cannot the humongous cost of over Rs.5000 crore, supplemented by additional resources from multilateral funding agencies, be spent on developing these river systems into clean, navigable waterways? These will help preserve the greenery along the waterways, be far less polluting, and will be environmentally friendly while providing citizens a cheap mode of travel. Their viability can be attested to by the example of the endless streams of boat cruises along the Rhine River in crowded German cities like Frankfurt.

The Adyar River has already lost its chance for navigation by the grant of permission for constructing an airport runway over the river. The proposed hi-speed corridor is bound to kill any future possibility of the existing river system being cleaned up for navigation.

Sadly, such decisions are taken without wide consultations with the public and experts and result from the whims and fancies of politicians in power and a few bureaucrats. The damage caused is irreversible.

Once the elegance of such a waterway is appreciated, the concept can be extended to run cruises along the sea coast. The middle-class is already familiar with the pleasures of cruises in Singapore and Malaysia. It would certainly be willing to spend on such cruises nearer home and a number of companies may be willing to offer these services.

In the 1970s, the Government destroyed the elegance and beauty of the Foreshore Estate by constructing slum tenements in San Thomé. These have permanently damaged the seafront that stretches south from the lighthouse for several kilometres. Tamil Nadu has scant regard for the coastal zone restrictions that prohibit any construction upto 500 metres from the seashore. – (Courtesy: Industrial Economist)