The Buckingham Canal is a salt water navigation canal, running parallel to the Coromandel Coast of South India for 420 km, from Krishna District in Andhra Pradesh to Villupuram District in Tamil Nadu. The canal connects most of the natural backwaters along the coast to the port of Chennai (Madras). It was constructed by the British, and was an important waterway during the British Raj. This article is about the Coromandel Coast of India. ... A map of South India, its rivers, regions and water bodies. ... Krishna District is a district of Indias Andhra Pradesh state. ... Andhra Pradesh (ఆంధ్ర ప్రదేశం in Telugu) (Ä€ndhra Prādesh), a state in South India, lies between 12°41 and 22°N latitude and 77° and 84°40E longitude . ... Villupuram is an administrative district in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... Chennai (சென்னை in Tamil), formerly known as Madras, is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu and is Indias fourth largest city. ... The British Raj is an informal term for the British colonial administration of most of the Indian subcontinent, or present-day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, also included from 1886 was Burma. ...

The first segment of the canal was constructed in 1806, from Chennai north to Ennore. Subsequently, it was extended north to Pulicat Lake, 40 km north of Chennai. The canal was taken over by the government of Madras Presidency in 1837 and further extended, ultimately reaching 315 km north of Chennai to Peddaganjam on the Krishna River in Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh, and 103 km south of Chennai to Marakkanam in Tamil Nadu. The canal runs approximately 1 km back from the coastline. The Cooum river connects the canal to the Bay of Bengal in the center of Chennai. The portion north of the Cooum is known as the North Buckingham Canal, and the portion south of the Cooum as the South Buckingham Canal. 257 km of the canal are in Andhra Pradesh, and 163 km are in Tamil Nadu. Approximately 31 km are within the city limits of Chennai. 1806 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Pulicat Lake is a brackish-water lake on the Coromandel Coast of southeastern India. ... Madras Presidency, also known as Madras Province and known officially as Presidency of Fort St. ... 1837 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Krishna River is one of the longest rivers of India (about 900 km in length). ... Krishna District is a district of Indias Andhra Pradesh state. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... The Bay of Bengal is a sea that forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. ...

The canal was formerly used to convey goods up and down the coast to Chennai. The cyclones of 1965/1966 and 1976 damaged the canal, and it is presently little used and no longer maintained. Within the city of Chennai the canal is badly polluted from sewage and industrial effluent, and the silting up of the canal has left the water stagnant, creating an attractive habitat for malaria-bearing mosquitos. The North Chennai Thermal Power Station (NCTP) discharges hot water and fly ash into the canal as well. On January 1, 2001 the Government of India launched a project to prevent sewage outfalls into the canal and Chennai's other waterways, and to dredge the canal to remove accumulated sediment and improve water flow. January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...

Buckingham canal buffered tsunami fury. During the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the Buckingham canal acted as a buffer zone and regulated the tsunami waves on the coastal region over nearly 310 km from Pedda Ganjam to Chennai. The canal, all along the east coast was filled with tsunami water, which overflowed at a few places and receded back to sea within 10-15 min. This helped save the lives of several fishermen, especially in coastal Andhra Pradesh and parts of Chennai city and also helped in clearing of the aquaculture debris. The natural growth of vegetation on either side of the canal, has had an effect in tsunami mitigation; for example in Vakadu Mandal at villages like Pudikappam, Srinivasapuram and Tudipalem, the damages were minimal. 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Animation of the tsunami caused by the earthquake (see also the full-length version) The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC (07:58:53 local time) on December 26, 2004. ...