Residents of VGP Format in Uthandi have raised issues over the proposed Straight-Reduce Flood Escape Channel challenge by the Water Sources Division (WRD), warning that it might trigger vital environmental harm and impression essential groundwater assets. 

The ₹91-crore challenge is meant to deal with recurring flooding in south Chennai, particularly in low-lying areas across the Pallikaranai marsh. It includes setting up a 1.05-kilometre canal linking the Buckingham Canal to the Bay of Bengal at Uthandi, with a deliberate discharge capability of as much as 550 cusecs.