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{{Short description|River in Tamil Nadu, India}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=MarchMay 20132022}}
{{Infobox river
| name = Cooum
| name_nativenative_name =
| name_native_langnative_name_lang =
| name_other = Triplicane
| name_etymology =
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{{Coord|13.068107|N|80.28585|E|display=title}}
 
The '''Cooum riverRiver''', (alsoor known assimply '''Thiruvallikenni riverKoovam'''), is one of the shortest classified rivers draining into the [[Bay of Bengal]]. This river is about {{convert|72 |km|abbr=on}} in length, flowing {{convert|32 |km|abbr=on}} in the [[city of Chennai]] (urban part) and the rest in rural part. The river is highly polluted in the urban area (Chennai). Along with the [[Adyar River]] running parallel to the south and the [[Kosasthalaiyar River]], the river trifurcates the city of Chennai and separates Northern Chennai from Central Chennai. It is also sometimes known as '''Thiruvallikenni river'''
 
Its source is in a place by the Kesavaram Anaicut built across [[Kallar river]] in [[Vellore district]] adjoining [[Chennai district]]. From its origin in the [[Kesavaram|Kesavaram village]] to [[Thandurai]] ([[Pattabiram]]), [[Avadi]], [[Thiruverkadu]] Anaikat, the river remains unpolluted. Beyond this point, the river is highly polluted till its mouth inon the Bay of Bengal.<ref name="ProjectKeepsHopesAfloat">{{cite news
| last = Ramakrishnan
| first = T.
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| access-date = 1 September 2012}}</ref>
 
Owing to the intensive use of surface water upstream for agriculture, indiscriminate pumping of groundwater leading to reduced base flow in the river, formation of a sand bar at the mouth of the river, discharge of untreated sewage and industrial effluents, and encroachment along the banks, the river, especially the downstream, has been highly polluted.<ref name="ProjectKeepsHopesAfloat"/> In 2018 alone, about 21,665 tonnes of waste waswere removed from the river.<ref>{{cite news
| last = Ramakrishnan
| first = Deepa H.
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| date = 14 July 2012
| url = http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOICH/2012/07/14&PageLabel=49&EntityId=Ar04900&ViewMode=HTML
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092102/http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOICH/2012/07/14&PageLabel=49&EntityId=Ar04900&ViewMode=HTML
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = 4 March 2016
| access-date = 14 July 2012}}</ref> The word ''coovalan'' denotes a person who is well versed in the science of ground water, well water and stagnant water.
 
Once this river was said to have its origin in [[Dharmapuri district]], but now due to some earth table changes, it has shortened its course to [[Thiruvallur district]].{{citation needed|date=March 2012}} Ancient documents from the nearby temples states about one 'reaching salvation' on having a dip in the Cooum. The Cooum river was then clean and unpolluted.
 
For centuries, Cooum has been an integral part of the socio-economic and cultural life of the city. Till the early twentieth century, it was a clean river, most suitable for navigation. In ancient times, it played a pivotal part in the far-flung maritime trade between the [[Roman empireEmpire]], [[South India]] and [[Sri Lanka]]. Cooum's proximity to the ancient port of Manarpha or [[Mylapore]] added to the river's strategic importance. Manarpha was frequented by Roman merchants who came here to buy Indian textiles, gemstones and spices. In return, India procured gold, silver, copper and high-quality wine from the Romans. Archaeologists have discovered ancient Roman wine jars, and Roman and Chinese coins, on the banks of the river. In the late eighteenth century, [[Pachaiyappa Mudaliar]], the renowned philanthropist, bathed in this river before offering prayers at the Komaleeswarar Temple in Komaleeswaranpet.<ref name="TimesOfIndia_ARiverForAllSeasons"/>
 
Cooum River and the nearby Elambore River (or North River), which flows into the Cooum at its mouth, were running very close to each other near the former [[Central Jail, Chennai|Central Jail]] area opposite [[Chennai Central]]. During floods, both the watercourses inundated the whole area. In the 1700s, the two rivers were linked by a cut to equalise the floods in both the rivers and a bridge was constructed between these rivers in 1710 across the cut.<ref name="CMDA_StructureOfChennai">{{cite web
|title=Structure of Chennai
|work=Chapter 1
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|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130826201439/http://www.cmdachennai.gov.in/Volume3_English_PDF/Vol3_Chapter01_Structure%20of%20Chennai.pdf
|archive-date=26 August 2013
|df=dmy
}}</ref>
 
Polluted part of the Cooum is presently spoiled by filth and pollution, and the water quality has considered to be highly toxic and completely non-potable. The 2004 tsunami cleaned the mouth of the river; however, the river returned to its usual polluted self within a short period. Nevertheless, the river is still being used for drinking water needs of many villages in the banks of the unpolluted part of the river.{{citation neededcn|date=DecemberSeptember 20202023}}
 
==Origin and course==
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| archive-date = 17 December 2009
| newspaper = [[The Hindu]]
| access-date = 1 September 2012}}</ref> Close to Egmore, the river forks into two—the northern and the southern arms—both of which join again near the [[Napier bridge]], thus forming an island, known as the Island Grounds. The northern part of the [[Buckingham Canal]] joins the Cooum near the old Central Jail while the southern part of the same canal emerges from the river, just behind the [[University of Madras]] campus. The river finally joins the [[Bay of Bengal]] south of the [[Fort St George]], just below the Napier Bridge.<ref name="TimesOfIndia_ARiverForAllSeasons"/> Once a fresh water source, it is today a drainage course inside the city of Chennai, collecting surpluses of 75 small tanks of a minor [[drainage basin|basin]]. The total length of the river is about {{convert|65|km|mi}}. The river flows to a length of {{convert|40|km|mi}} in the Chennai Metropolitan Area, of which {{convert|16|km|mi|0}} fall within the Chennai district limits. The total catchment area of the river is about {{convert|400|km2|mi2}}, and the bed width ranges from {{convert|40|to|120|m|ft}}. The capacity of the river is {{convert|19500|m3/s|cuft/s}}, and the anticipated flood discharge is around {{convert|22000|m3/s|cuft/s}}.<ref name="RiverDrainageSystemInCMA"/> Once a fishing river, it has borne the brunt of the city's unplanned developmental explosion. The Kesavaram dam diverts the river into the [[Chembarambakkam Lake]] from which water is used for the supply of drinking water to the city of Chennai. Thereafter, the flow of water in the river is much reduced.
 
Three ancient [[Shiva]] temples are located at the source of the river. The first is [[Tiruvirkolam]], in Cooum village, and the other is at Ilambaiyankottur. The third is Thiruverkadu Shiva temple. Koyambedu temple is also in its banks. These temples have been featured in the [[Thevaram]] sung by the [[Saivite]] saint [[Sambandar|Thirugnana Sambandar]]. There is one more temple called the Veerebathrasami temple. The god in the temple is otherwise known as "Akoramoorthy". This temple is at Pillayarkuppam, {{convert|2|km|mi}} from Cooum village. In ancient Tamil Nadu, under the Chola Empire, the river Cooum was referred to as ''Kashtabudhyotpathihi''. They all form a group of villages called ''Padhinaru Nattham''. The river drains into the Bay of Bengal at [[Chepauk]] in Chennai marking the northernmost boundary of the [[Marina Beach]]. The delta also marks the southern boundary of the [[Port of Chennai]].
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==Pollution==
[[File:Cooum River.jpg|thumb|200px|The river is one of the most polluted waterbodies in the citycountry]]
The river is narrow, placid, slow and meandering. The river is primarily fed by discharge from tank and water bodies and has seen a steady drop in freshwater over the years, a primary reason for its present-day condition.<ref name="JudgmentDay"/> However, the core problem of the Cooum has been that due to the sand bar, the river mouth near the Napier Bridge gets blocked for most of the time, preventing the river water from draining into the sea. This has, eventually, made the river, in its 18-km-long stretch in the central district, a stinking cesspool.<ref name="CityAwashWithDreams"/>
 
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| access-date = 15 July 2018}}</ref>
 
The study of the river was undertaken as part of a [[World Bank]]-funded project and shows that it is 80 percentper cent more polluted than treated sewer. Fish were able to survive in the water for only 3 to 5 hours even after samples were diluted. There are traces of heavy metals like copper and pesticides like [[endosulphan]] and [[lindane]] in it. Public Works Department sources said government agencies like [[Chennai Corporation]] and business units and retail outlets on the banks of the river were responsible for the pollution. The water has almost no dissolved oxygen, and instead there are traces of heavy metals like copper, besides sewage and sludge. Due to its narrowness and about 3,500 illegal hutments along its banks, it has not been recently [[silt|desilted]], which has closed it to river traffic. Per 2003 enumeration, about 9,000 families live along the river, in addition to 450 shops and commercial buildings.<ref name="CityAwashWithDreams"/> There are 700-odd points in the river bank where sewage flows straight into the river.<ref name="JudgmentDay"/> There are 127 identified sewage outfalls into the river, out of which 85 are in use.<ref name="CityAwashWithDreams"/>
 
Nearly 30 per cent of the estimated {{convert|55|e6l|USgal}} of untreated sewage being let into the waterways of Chennai daily, including by Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, gets into the Cooum river. About 60 per cent of the untreated sewage gets into the [[Buckingham Canal]] and the [[Adyar River]] takes the rest. In 2010, about 340 sewage outfalls into the waterways were identified. Of them, more than 130 sewage outfalls were in the Cooum River and a majority of them were between Aminjikarai and Nungambakkam.<ref name="UntreatedSewagePollutesWaterways">{{Cite news
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| access-date = 2 December 2011}}</ref>
 
Fortunately, there is another 42&nbsp;km of this river which is still not polluted (as of the year 2015), which can be used to transport the water into Chennai and to store drinking water for Chennai's needs. There is a huge amount of sand deposits in the banks of the unpolluted part of the cooumCooum river that could rejuvenate the ground water level of numerous villages in the banks of this river.
 
==Cleanup==
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| date = 26 July 2012
| url = http://www.dinamalar.com/News_Detail.asp?Id=516350
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120728061535/http://www.dinamalar.com/News_Detail.asp?Id=516350
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = 28 July 2012
| access-date = 28 July 2012}}</ref>
 
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| access-date = 2 October 2011}}</ref>
 
In 2011, the Tamil Nadu Sailing Association planned to build a marina at the mouth of the Cooum river along the southern bank, where yachts and pleasure boats could dock. The {{INR}} 300-million project involves first building a breakwater in the sea so that the waters at the marina are placid and the boats do not keep bobbing up and down with the incursion of waves. However, the by-catch is a more important function—the breakwater will prevent silting and clogging of the mouthectriver's mouth, allowing for structures such as a boat repair facility, a base for the Tamil Nadu Coastal Police, and sailing academy, willto be put up on the bank.<ref>{{Cite news
| last = Ramesh
| first = M.
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| newspaper = Business Line
| location = Chennai
| publisher = The Hindu
| date = 27 September 2011
| url = http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/economy/article2490902.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home
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| date = 8 October 2013
| url = http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOICH/2013/10/08&PageLabel=1&EntityId=Ar00104&ViewMode=HTML
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131021183102/http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOICH/2013/10/08&PageLabel=1&EntityId=Ar00104&ViewMode=HTML
| access-date = 19 Oct 2013}}</ref>▼
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = 21 October 2013
▲ | access-date = 19 OctOctober 2013}}</ref>
 
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). The project is planned from College Road bridge to Chetpet bridge by the Chennai River Restoration Trust in view of the biological diversity of the area which was undisturbed for decades. According to the draft ecological plan, floral species such as [[Indian almond]], [[black wattle]], [[sacred fig]], [[madras thorn]], [[Indian mulberry]], [[neem]], [[banyan]], ''magizham'', [[Millingtonia|Indian cork tree]], ''punnai'', ''sirukkambil'', ''karumugai'', ''shenbagam'', [[bayur tree]], ''kadamba'', ''pavazha malli'', [[vetiver]] grass, [[palmarosa]], [[agave]], [[lemon grass]] and [[subabul]] would be part of species along the nature trail which would play a role in erosion management. The nature trail would be based on an "elevated boardwalk" model with "uncompressed natural wood" and "fibre reinforced plastic". The entry and exit would be on College Road near the DPI complex. Apart from the parking facilities on the DPI premises, a stretch along the road between the entry point and the College Road Bridge would be demarcated for additional parking. Five points located at {{convert|200|m|ft|adj=on}} intervals along the trail have been selected for erecting break-out areas including one for a canopy walk. The facility has been planned without electrical fittings and has been designed as a "day trail".<ref name="NatureTrailAlongCooum">{{Cite news
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| location = Chennai
| date = 22 May 2012
| url = httphttps://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-22city/chennai/31224488_1_tunnelsMetro-chennaidips-metrounder-railhistoric-earth-pressure-balancing-machineCooum/articleshow/12366911.cms
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130429231954/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-22/chennai/31224488_1_tunnels-chennai-metro-rail-earth-pressure-balancing-machine
| url-status = deadlive
| archive-date = 29 April 2013
| newspaper = [[The Times of India]]
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Key aspects of the Cooum river eco-restoration plan includes 11 maintenance ways of 9.6&nbsp;km, 22 walkways of 24&nbsp;km, and 17 cycle tracks of 19&nbsp;km, in addition to 24 parks and riverfront vegetation. The total budget for the eco-restoration is {{INR}} 19,340 million.<ref name="Hindu_DemolitionGathersPace"/>
 
As part of the eco-restoration, in July 2018, the Corporationcorporation began work on the 1.5-km nature trail between the College Road bridge in Nungambakkam and the Munroe bridge in Chetput. Modelled on the San Antonio River Walk in the United States, the trail is being built in two phases at a cost of {{INR}} 98.2 million and includes a butterfly park in a 5000&nbsp;square meter area. Given the raise in the maximum flood level in the past years being 70% to 5.94&nbsp;meters, the boardwalk has been increased from 3.5&nbsp;meters to more than 6&nbsp;meters using corrosion-resistant steel. The boardwalk will measure 1.65&nbsp;meters and will be covered with greenery, with a provision to park 70 vehicles. The butterfly park will be built in the second phase.<ref name="Hindu_CorpBeginsWorkOnTrail">{{cite news
| last = Lopez
| first = Aloysius Xavier
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==Legacy==
A 1928 poem by V. H. Shipley describes the river as follows:<blockquote>Of dirt and smell your sources wake... And near the sea where one would think Your water might be cleaner, It forms a cesspit by the bridge, Adjoining the Marina. Oh viscid stream! Oh smelling flood. Oh green and beastly river!<ref>{{Cite news|last=Umachandran|first=Shalini|date=18 AugAugust 2009|title=Madras in its many moods|work=[[The Times of India]]|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Madras-in-its-many-moods/articleshow/4904372.cms|access-date=17 June 2021}}</ref></blockquote>
 
==See also==
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==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
 
== External links ==
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121021173611/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2008-08-20/pollution/27924588_1_cooum-river-clean-rivers-sewage-water Cooum River Pollution]
* [http://www.eubios.info/india/BII74.HTM History of Cooum River]
* {{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20090808115651/http://www.hinduonnet.com/fr/2004/08/20/stories/2004082002350400.htm The Cooum associated with sanctity]}}
 
{{Chennai Topics}}
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[[Category:Geography of Chennai]]
[[Category:Rivers of Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Rivers of India]]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooum_River"