Adyar River 3.69

The Adyar or Adayar, originating near the Chembarambakkam Lake in Kanchipuram district, is one of the two rivers which winds through Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India, and joins the Bay of Bengal at the Adyar Estuary. The 42.5km long river contributes to the estuarine ecosystem of Chennai. Despite the high pollution levels, boating and fishing take place in this river. The river collects surplus water from about 200 tanks and lakes, small streams and the rainwater drains in the city, with a combined catchment area of 331mi2. Most of the waste from the city is drained into this river and the Cooum.Origin and courseAdyar river starts from Malaipattu tank near Manimangalam village in Sriperumbudur Taluk at about 15km west of Tambaram near Chennai. It starts to appear as a stream only from the point where water from Chembarambakkam lake joins the river. It flows through Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Chennai district for about 42.5km before joining the Bay of Bengal in Adyar, Chennai. Here it forms an estuary, which extends from the Adyar Bridge to the sandbar at the edge of the sea, with some small islets in-between. The estuary attracts a wide variety of birds. The estuary covering an area of about 300acre was made a protected wildlife reserve in 1987. The river forms a backwater near the mouth, known as the Adyar creek, due to the formation of sand bar at the mouth. This creek is a natural channel which carries tidal water back into the sea.