Adyar River

            Adyar  river which traverses a distance of 40 km originates from Chembarambakkam, Chengai-MGR District, enters  Madras  City near Nandambakkam.  It flows in the West-East direction  for  a distance  of  13.5 km before joining the Bay  of  Bengal  near Thiru-vi-ka  Bridge. It collects the surplus water from  more than 200 tanks of the Chembarambakkam  group and other irrigation tanks  nearby, which have a combined catchment area of 331 sq. miles. During  the colonial period, there were large estates and  garden houses  along  the  Adyar river. The estuary  of the Adyar attracts a wide variety of birds.  The river has formed a backwater called the 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. In  1987, the forest department declared the estuary as a  protected  area.

The release of sewage into the Adyar River by commercial establishments has been checked and sewer mains flowing towards the river from residential areas of Saidapet and Ekkaduthangal were being diverted to the sewage network for treatment and disposal, according to Chennai Metrowater.