A colonial-era canal in India is now a vital, if polluted, tsunami buffer zone.

Countries & Cities · Published 30 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Originally built by the British to transport goods along the Coromandel Coast, the Buckingham Canal has shifted from a commercial artery to a neglected urban waterway. Today, this 796-kilometer system faces severe pollution and encroachment, yet researchers argue its unique geography could be the key to mitigating future natural disasters.

The Buckingham Canal began in 1806 as a modest 18-kilometer saltwater route between Madras and Ennore, initially known as Lord Clive's Canal. Over the 19th century, it was progressively extended to link coastal backwaters, eventually forming a continuous navigation channel by 1882. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, it served as a critical transport route for bulky commodities like fuel and salt. However, the rise of railways and highways eventually rendered the canal commercially obsolete, leading to widespread neglect and silting.

The canal's modern identity is defined by its environmental struggles. In Chennai, it has become a primary conduit for industrial effluents and sewage, with nearly 60 percent of the city's 55 million liters of daily untreated waste flowing into it. Furthermore, urban development—specifically the elevated Chennai Mass Rapid Transit System—has encroached upon the canal, narrowing its width to under 50 meters in several locations. These factors, combined with damage from cyclones in 1965, 1966, and 1976, have left much of the waterway stagnant and unnavigable.

Despite this degradation, the canal has gained new significance as a protective barrier. Dr. B. Ramalingeswara Rao identified that during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the canal acted as a buffer, absorbing and regulating waves over a 310-kilometer stretch. By filling with seawater and receding, it helped protect coastal communities and clear aquaculture debris. Today, government initiatives under National Waterway 4 aim to dredge and restore the canal, not just for potential navigation, but as a critical tool for flood management and tsunami mitigation along the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh coasts.

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