The Cooum River is highly polluted in the urban area in Chennai, South India. For centuries, the Cooum has been an integral part of the socio-economic and cultural life of the city. Until the early twentieth century, it was a clean river, most suitable for navigation ... Now, nearly 30 per cent of the estimated 55 million litres of untreated sewage being let into the waterways of Chennai daily gets into the Cooum river and more than 7 tonnes of solid waste is being dumped in the river every day.

According to scientists, around 1950, Cooum had 49 species of fish, and by the late 1970s, this was reduced to 21 species. And now, it would be nil, owing to highly toxic pollutants found in the river water.

One of the city’s dream projects is to clean up this river on or before 2020. The initiative has been taken up by the Central and State governments to clean up the river and rediscover the pleasures of traditional boat racing. The Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust (CRRT) has asked the Chennai Corporation to chalk out an action plan to remove construction debris dumped on the banks of the river. A nature trail along the river has been proposed for which a draft ecological plan has been prepared by the Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure and Financial Services Limited (TNUIFSL).

And anyone’s dream in Chennai is for the whole river to be cleaned and to store drinking water, as well as possible inland transport and water sports too! (vinoba raja)