during 1877 and 1878, the people of chennai suffered from the terrible great famine and more than six million people perished. the stretch, linking the adyar and cooum rivers, was built in 1877-78 at a cost of as a famine relief work. the canal was named the buckingham canal in 1878 because the link, was built on the orders of the then governor, the duke of buckingham and chandos.