Pallikaranai wetland
Encyclopedia
Pallikaranai wetland is a freshwater swamp
in the city of Chennai
. Situated adjacent to the Bay of Bengal
, it lies about 20 km south from the city centre with a geographical area of 80 km2. Pallikaranai marshland is the only surviving wetland ecosystem
of the city and is among the few and last remaining natural wetlands of South India. It is one of the 94 identified wetlands under National Wetland Conservation and Management Programme (NWCMP) operationalised by the Government of India
in 1985-86 and one of the three in the state of Tamil Nadu
, the other two being Point Calimere
and Kazhuveli
. It is also one of the prioritized wetlands of Tamil Nadu. The topography of the swamp is such that it always retains some storage, thus forming an aquatic ecosystem
. A project on 'Inland Wetlands of India' commissioned by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India
had prioritized Pallikaranai marsh as one of the most significant wetlands of the country. The marsh contains several rare or endangered and threatened species and acts as a forage and breeding ground for thousands of migratory birds from various places within and outside the country.
Indiscriminate dumping of toxic solid waste along the road, discharge of sewage, and construction of buildings, railway stations and a new road to connect Old Mahabhalipuram Road
and Pallavaram
have shrunk the wetland to a great extent. In 2007, as an effort to protect the remaining wetland from shrinking further, the undeveloped areas in the region were notified as a reserve forest
.
south of the Adyar Estuary
. It is surrounded by the expressway of Old Mahabalipuram Road
and the residential areas of Perungudi
, Siruseri
, Pallikaranai
, Madipakkam, Velachery
and Taramani. An extensive low-lying area covered by a mosaic of aquatic grass species, scrub, marsh, and water-logged depressions, it is connected to 31 different water bodies, all of which release surplus water into the marsh during the monsoons. It has a catchment of 235 km2 that includes the urban sprawls of Velachery
, Pallikaranai
and Navalur. The terrain of the area is generally plain with an average altitude of about 5 m above mean sea level, receiving an annual rainfall of 1300 mm mostly during the northeast monsoon (September–November) and partially during the southwest monsoon (June–August). Temperature ranges from 35°C to 42°C during summer and from 25°C to 34°C in winter. A large part of the southern region of Chennai was historically a flood plain as evidenced by the soil type of the region, which is described as recent alluvium
and granite
gneiss
. The entire landscape comprises a coastal plain with intermittent and overlapping habitat types of cultivated land, wetlands and scrub forests. The wetlands comprises a large marsh (the Pallikaranai marsh), smaller satellite wetlands, large tracts of pastureland and patches of dry forests. Spread over 50 km2 at the time of Independence in the 1940s, about 90% of the wetland was lost as the city expanded and it continued shrinking at an alarming rate. The marshland has shrunk over the last four decades following the creation of residential areas around it, including Perungudi
, Siruseri
, Pallikaranai
, Madipakkam, Taramani and Velachery
. Nearly a decade ago, about 120 species of birds were sighted at the marsh. However, their population has sharply decreased now due to various ecological disturbances in the region. The original expanse of the marsh, estimated on the basis of the Survey of India toposheet of 1972 and aerial photographs (Corona) of 1965 was about 5,500 ha, which has shrunk to about 600 ha. Today, the marsh extends up to Sholinganallur Road.
Excess rainwater is drained into the sea through a channel
called the Oggiyam Madavu, a contiguous portion of the marsh at Oggiyam Thorapakkam draining into the Buckingham Canal, which in turn discharges into the Kovalam
estuary
. Locally known as Kazhiveli (a generic Tamil
name for marshes and swamps), the marsh drained about 250 km2, through two outlets, namely, the Okkiyam Madavu and the Kovalam creek
. Remnant forests can be observed within the Theosophical Society
campus, Guindy National Park
–IIT complex and the Nanmangalam Reserve Forest.
The heterogeneous ecosystem of the marshland supports about 337 species of floras and faunas. Of the faunal groups, birds, fishes and reptiles are the most prominent. Pallikaranai marsh is home to 115 species of birds, 10 species of mammals, 21 species of reptiles, 10 species of amphibians, 46 species of fishes, 9 species of molluscans
, 5 species of crustaceans, and 7 species of butterflies. About 114 species of plants are found in the wetland including 29 species of grass. These plant species include some exotic floating vegetation such as water hyacinth
and water lettuce, which are less extensive now and highly localized. The region has a bird bio-diversity about 4 times that of Vedanthangal. It is also home to some of the most endangered reptiles such as the Russell's viper and birds such as the glossy ibis
, grey-headed lapwings
and pheasant-tailed jacana
. Cormorants, darters, herons, egrets, open-billed storks, spoonbills, white ibis
, little grebe
, Indian moorhen
, black-winged stilts
, purple moorhens
, warblers, coots and dabchicks have been spotted in large numbers in the marshland. The marsh has also had the distinction of new records of reptiles and plants being described, on a rather regular basis since 2002.
Another rare species spotted in the region is the white-spotted garden skink
having appeared for the first time in Tamil Nadu. Fish such as dwarf gourami
and chromides that are widely bred and traded worldwide for aquaria, naturally occur in Pallikaranai. Other estuarine fauna present at the marsh includes the windowpane oyster
, mud crab
, mullet
, halfbeak
and green chromide
.
. The marshland experienced several major construction activities, ranging from the National Institute of Ocean Technology, the Centre of Wind Energy Technology, Chennai's Mass Rapid Transport System
, and flyovers to construction of buildings for educational institutions, IT parks, restaurants, shopping malls, and hospitals, which affected free flow of water. The land occupied by the corporation is 200 acres, including 30 acres where a waste management plant is planned. The locals started using the stagnant water in this part of the marsh as a bathing ghat and as a grazing ground for their cattle.
The existing sewage treatment and disposal facility for south Chennai is located on the immediate periphery and within the marshland. A large-scale sewage treatment facility of the Alandur
municipality is also located on the premises. About 32 million litres of untreated sewage was being released everyday at Thorapakkam by Metrowater, which contaminated water quality. In addition, garbage collected from the city was dumped close to the sewage-letting point. The marshland also houses one of Chennai's largest official dump sites. Over 250 acres of the marsh is choked by half of the city's garbage. The Chennai Corporation
dumps 1,500 tonnes of waste into the marsh daily.
Despite several court rulings, burning of garbage continued unabated at the marsh and the adjacent area of Perungudi
. All these led to a decrease in the estuarine fauna. Official statistics reveal that, in the absence of source segregation of waste, the dumpyard is eating into 4 ha of marshland every year.
The dumpyard originally covered 19 acres in Sevaram village at Perungudi
in 1970. By mid 1980, the area was completely filled up and then the corporation shifted to the present location in Pallikaranai. While, the marsh which originally covered an area of 5,000 ha had shrunk into 593 ha by 2002, the corporation's dumpyard that covered 56 ha in 2002 had expanded to 136 ha in 2007 and is expanding constantly. Over 4,500 metric tones of garbage are dumped daily in the marsh region from the southern part of the city. In addition, industrial waste is also being dumped in heaps along the water bodies.
The SIPCOT
Area Community Environmental Monitors group analyzed an ambient air sample collected downwind of the garbage dump in Pallikaranai and found that it contained at least 27 chemicals, 15 of which greatly exceed health-based standards set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency
. Three of the 27 chemicals are also known to cause cancer
in humans and were found in quantities as high as 34,000 times above safe levels. A research by the Anna University
revealed a large quantity of metallic sedimentation discharged from the Perungudi dumpyard being deposited in the marshland, affecting its biodiversity.
commissioned a study to find out the total area of the marsh and its habitat quality and suggested interventional methods. The survey revealed the presence of 275 species of flora and over 100 species of birds in the wetland. On 20 February 2003, the Kancheepuram district collector issued a gazette notification announcing that 548.14 ha of the marsh area is classified as Protected Land. In late 2005, the government constituted a high-level committee to restore the ecosystem, and in the summer of 2006 the locals formed an environment committee to protect the wetland. In 2007, an eight-member team from Freiburg University in Germany
conducted a study on the physical and social features of the marsh.
As a first real effort to protect the wetland, the state declared 317 ha (793 acres) of the marsh as a reserve forest on 9 April 2007 (Gazettee notification G.O.Ms.No.52, dated 9-4-2007) under the Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980 and brought under the jurisdiction of the District Forest Officer–Kanchipuram (Tambaram
range), a separate range in Chengalpet Forest Division at Kancheepuram with headquarters at Pallikaranai. The Kancheepuram district authorities transferred the land to the forest department. However, researchers suggested that an additional 150 ha on both sides of the Thoraipakkam–Tambaram road bisecting the marsh be declared a reserve forest as birds, especially several varieties of ducks, came there for feeding. Named Pallikaranai Swamp Forest Block, it is the 17th reserve forest area in the Tambaram Range, whose reserve forest area goes up to 56.27 km2 (21.7 miles2) with this addition.
The first scientific bird census in the state conducted in January 2010 revealed that birds still visit the marsh despite the non-stop dumping by the city corporation.
Anticipating the obstruction of the water flow from north to south by the growing garbage mounds, the government directed the civic body to transfer the 150 ha to the forest department. After taking a policy decision to transfer 150 ha of land in Pallikaranai to the forest department, the state government will acquire patches of land in the northern (adjacent to Velachery–Tambaram road) and southeastern parts of the marshland, measuring about 127 ha, to protect the ecosystem in its totality from becoming an open dumpyard. Save Pallikaranai, a campaign for protecting an ecologically sensitive environment despite urban pressures, has achieved significant success owing to people’s participation, sustained media support and a responsive government.
There was a proposal to turn the Pallikaranai marsh into a wetland centre by networking with international agencies to attract funds for its protection and restoration.
In 2011, an adaptive management plan for the Pallikaranai marshland estimated at a cost of 150 million was prepared by Chennai-based NGO called Care Earth, an organisation working towards ecological conservation, which has been sent to the Union Ministry by the state department and is pending for approval. The plan recommends setting up digital boards, depictive murals, viewing decks and towers connected through walkways, aquaria, viewing telescopes, night-vision cameras and camera traps.
The State Forest Department has prepared a comprehensive five-year plan to protect the marshland. Initially, desilting and dredging work at a cost of 10 million per year would be taken up. The plan also includes forming a bio-shield costing 1.087 million annually, removal of aquatic weeds
at a cost of 2.5 million for 5 years, mound planting at a cost of 2.75 million for 3 years, linear planting along the boundary at a cost of 1.65 million and forming flood bund and trail paths at a cost of 34 million. Apart from this, the department is also considering allocation of 5 million for conducting research projects on the marshland, about 6 million towards a bird census, a broad walk path for 3 km in a period of 3 years at a cost of 30 million, watch tower at two places in a period of 2 years at a cost of 2 million, and a wetland centre at a cost of 4 million. In addition, there is also proposal for creating roadside parks, installing signage boards and for conducting awareness camps during the project implementation period at a cost of 4 million as part of the initiative.
The State Forest Department has made the preliminary move to get the marshland declared as a Ramsar site by submitting a compliance report to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
.
In 2010, steps were taken to facilitate birdwatching
at the marsh. Fencing has been completed in the area for over half a kilometre along the marshland. The entire stretch of 1.7 km would be provided with benches for the benefit of birdwatchers. The forest department is constructing a compound wall on the southern portion of the marsh covering a distance of 5 km. A 870-m-long portion of the boundary wall has been completed on the Sholinganallur
side of the Pallikaranai marsh to protect the wetland from encroachers.
In September 2011, the civic body initiated the process of handing over the marshland following a request from the Forest Department. The Forest Department, which plans to undertake restoration of the eco-sensitive Pallikaranai marshland, will get 421 acres for the purpose from the Chennai Corporation. The area to be handed over is on the southern side of Radial Road near NIOT junction. The civic body is planning to use only around 200 acres elsewhere in the marshland for its solid waste management project in Perungudi.
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
in the city of Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
. Situated adjacent to the Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
, it lies about 20 km south from the city centre with a geographical area of 80 km2. Pallikaranai marshland is the only surviving wetland ecosystem
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
of the city and is among the few and last remaining natural wetlands of South India. It is one of the 94 identified wetlands under National Wetland Conservation and Management Programme (NWCMP) operationalised by the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
in 1985-86 and one of the three in the state of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, the other two being Point Calimere
Point Calimere
Point Calimere, also called Cape Calimere, , is a low headland on the Coromandel Coast, in the Nagapattinam district of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the apex of the Cauvery River delta, and marks a nearly right-angle turn in the coastline...
and Kazhuveli
Kazhuveli
Kazhuveli is the second largest brackish water lake in South India located in Tindivanam taluk of Villupuram district of the state of Tamil Nadu. It is about 18 km north of Pondicherry. The tank lies adjacent to the Bay of Bengal along the East Coast Road and encompasses about 15 villages with...
. It is also one of the prioritized wetlands of Tamil Nadu. The topography of the swamp is such that it always retains some storage, thus forming an aquatic ecosystem
Aquatic ecosystem
An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem in a body of water. Communities of organisms that are dependent on each other and on their environment live in aquatic ecosystems. The two main types of aquatic ecosystems are marine ecosystems and freshwater ecosystems....
. A project on 'Inland Wetlands of India' commissioned by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
had prioritized Pallikaranai marsh as one of the most significant wetlands of the country. The marsh contains several rare or endangered and threatened species and acts as a forage and breeding ground for thousands of migratory birds from various places within and outside the country.
Indiscriminate dumping of toxic solid waste along the road, discharge of sewage, and construction of buildings, railway stations and a new road to connect Old Mahabhalipuram Road
Rajiv Gandhi Salai
Rajiv Gandhi Salai , previously known as Old Mahabalipuram Road or IT Corridor is a major road in suburban Chennai, India, beginning at the Madhya Kailash temple in Adyar and continuing south till Mahabalipuram, ultimately merging with the East Coast Road...
and Pallavaram
Pallavaram
Pallavapuram Municipality was constituted as a III Grade Municipality on 17.01.1970 vide G.o.No. 55 R.D. & L.A. Department dated 12.01.1970, by Combining the following Town Panchayats and Panchayats.* Zamin Pallavaram Town Panchayat* Issa Pallavaram Town Panchayat...
have shrunk the wetland to a great extent. In 2007, as an effort to protect the remaining wetland from shrinking further, the undeveloped areas in the region were notified as a reserve forest
Reserve forest
You may be looking for forest reserve, a generic term associated with protected forest areas, which is also used as a specific term for protected forests in some countries...
.
Location and ecology
The marshland is located along the Coromandel CoastCoromandel Coast
The Coromandel Coast is the name given to the southeastern coast of the Indian Subcontinent between Cape Comorin and False Divi Point...
south of the Adyar Estuary
Adyar
Adyar may refer to:* Adyar — a locality in Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu, India* Adyar River — a river in Chennai city* Adyar, Karnataka — a town in the state of Karnataka, India* Adyar, Bhandara, Maharashtra...
. It is surrounded by the expressway of Old Mahabalipuram Road
Rajiv Gandhi Salai
Rajiv Gandhi Salai , previously known as Old Mahabalipuram Road or IT Corridor is a major road in suburban Chennai, India, beginning at the Madhya Kailash temple in Adyar and continuing south till Mahabalipuram, ultimately merging with the East Coast Road...
and the residential areas of Perungudi
Perungudi
-Geography:Perungudi is located at . It has an average elevation of 9 metres .- Economy :What was a sleeping small village has become a vibrant and thriving commercial/residential hub after the boom in the Indian IT industry. Perungudi had developed an industrial estate in the 90's...
, Siruseri
Siruseri
Siruseri is a suburb of Chennai, India in Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu, located a 30 km south of the city, along Old Mahabalipuram Road...
, Pallikaranai
Pallikaranai
Pallikaranai is a town in Tambaram Taluk of Kancheepuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is now one of the Chennai prime suburbs.-Demographics:...
, Madipakkam, Velachery
Velachery
-Geography:Velachery has mostly areas of hard rock, and a big marshland in the southern region of the area. It is said that this marshland was once a natural bird sanctuary. But nowadays, due to encroachment and rapid real estate development, the sanctuary has disappeared. Even today there is a big...
and Taramani. An extensive low-lying area covered by a mosaic of aquatic grass species, scrub, marsh, and water-logged depressions, it is connected to 31 different water bodies, all of which release surplus water into the marsh during the monsoons. It has a catchment of 235 km2 that includes the urban sprawls of Velachery
Velachery
-Geography:Velachery has mostly areas of hard rock, and a big marshland in the southern region of the area. It is said that this marshland was once a natural bird sanctuary. But nowadays, due to encroachment and rapid real estate development, the sanctuary has disappeared. Even today there is a big...
, Pallikaranai
Pallikaranai
Pallikaranai is a town in Tambaram Taluk of Kancheepuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is now one of the Chennai prime suburbs.-Demographics:...
and Navalur. The terrain of the area is generally plain with an average altitude of about 5 m above mean sea level, receiving an annual rainfall of 1300 mm mostly during the northeast monsoon (September–November) and partially during the southwest monsoon (June–August). Temperature ranges from 35°C to 42°C during summer and from 25°C to 34°C in winter. A large part of the southern region of Chennai was historically a flood plain as evidenced by the soil type of the region, which is described as recent alluvium
Alluvium
Alluvium is loose, unconsolidated soil or sediments, eroded, deposited, and reshaped by water in some form in a non-marine setting. Alluvium is typically made up of a variety of materials, including fine particles of silt and clay and larger particles of sand and gravel...
and granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
gneiss
Gneiss
Gneiss is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from pre-existing formations that were originally either igneous or sedimentary rocks.-Etymology:...
. The entire landscape comprises a coastal plain with intermittent and overlapping habitat types of cultivated land, wetlands and scrub forests. The wetlands comprises a large marsh (the Pallikaranai marsh), smaller satellite wetlands, large tracts of pastureland and patches of dry forests. Spread over 50 km2 at the time of Independence in the 1940s, about 90% of the wetland was lost as the city expanded and it continued shrinking at an alarming rate. The marshland has shrunk over the last four decades following the creation of residential areas around it, including Perungudi
Perungudi
-Geography:Perungudi is located at . It has an average elevation of 9 metres .- Economy :What was a sleeping small village has become a vibrant and thriving commercial/residential hub after the boom in the Indian IT industry. Perungudi had developed an industrial estate in the 90's...
, Siruseri
Siruseri
Siruseri is a suburb of Chennai, India in Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu, located a 30 km south of the city, along Old Mahabalipuram Road...
, Pallikaranai
Pallikaranai
Pallikaranai is a town in Tambaram Taluk of Kancheepuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is now one of the Chennai prime suburbs.-Demographics:...
, Madipakkam, Taramani and Velachery
Velachery
-Geography:Velachery has mostly areas of hard rock, and a big marshland in the southern region of the area. It is said that this marshland was once a natural bird sanctuary. But nowadays, due to encroachment and rapid real estate development, the sanctuary has disappeared. Even today there is a big...
. Nearly a decade ago, about 120 species of birds were sighted at the marsh. However, their population has sharply decreased now due to various ecological disturbances in the region. The original expanse of the marsh, estimated on the basis of the Survey of India toposheet of 1972 and aerial photographs (Corona) of 1965 was about 5,500 ha, which has shrunk to about 600 ha. Today, the marsh extends up to Sholinganallur Road.
| Group | Number of species |
|---|---|
| Plants | 114 |
| Birds | 115 |
| Mammals | 10 |
| Reptiles | 21 |
| Fishes | 46 |
| Amphibians | 10 |
| Molluscs | 9 |
| Crustaceans | 5 |
| Butterflies | 7 |
| Total | 337 |
Excess rainwater is drained into the sea through a channel
Channel
Channel, Channels, and similar terms may refer to:* Channels , a rock band fronted by ex-Jawbox singer/guitarist J. Robbins* Channels , a 2008 film* Channel, synonym for pre-chorus in popular song structure...
called the Oggiyam Madavu, a contiguous portion of the marsh at Oggiyam Thorapakkam draining into the Buckingham Canal, which in turn discharges into the Kovalam
Covelong
Covelong is a fishing village in India, 40 kilometres south of Chennai, on the East Coast Road en route to Mahabalipuram. Covelong was a port town developed by the Nawab of Carnatic, Saadat Ali...
estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
. Locally known as Kazhiveli (a generic Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
name for marshes and swamps), the marsh drained about 250 km2, through two outlets, namely, the Okkiyam Madavu and the Kovalam creek
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
. Remnant forests can be observed within the Theosophical Society
Theosophical Society
The Theosophical Society is an organization formed in 1875 to advance the spiritual principles and search for Truth known as Theosophy. The original organization, after splits and realignments has several successors...
campus, Guindy National Park
Guindy National Park
Guindy National Park is a Protected area of Tamil Nadu, located in Chennai, South India, is the 8th smallest National Park of India and one of the very few national parks situated inside a city. The park is an extension of the grounds surrounding Raj Bhavan, formerly known as the 'Guindy Lodge',...
–IIT complex and the Nanmangalam Reserve Forest.
The heterogeneous ecosystem of the marshland supports about 337 species of floras and faunas. Of the faunal groups, birds, fishes and reptiles are the most prominent. Pallikaranai marsh is home to 115 species of birds, 10 species of mammals, 21 species of reptiles, 10 species of amphibians, 46 species of fishes, 9 species of molluscans
Mollusca
The Mollusca , common name molluscs or mollusksSpelled mollusks in the USA, see reasons given in Rosenberg's ; for the spelling mollusc see the reasons given by , is a large phylum of invertebrate animals. There are around 85,000 recognized extant species of molluscs. Mollusca is the largest...
, 5 species of crustaceans, and 7 species of butterflies. About 114 species of plants are found in the wetland including 29 species of grass. These plant species include some exotic floating vegetation such as water hyacinth
Water hyacinth
The seven species of water hyacinth comprise the genus Eichhornia. Water hyacinth are a free-floating perennial aquatic plant native to tropical and sub-tropical South America. With broad, thick, glossy, ovate leaves, water hyacinth may rise above the surface of the water as much as 1 meter in...
and water lettuce, which are less extensive now and highly localized. The region has a bird bio-diversity about 4 times that of Vedanthangal. It is also home to some of the most endangered reptiles such as the Russell's viper and birds such as the glossy ibis
Glossy Ibis
The Glossy Ibis is a wading bird in the ibis family Threskiornithidae.This is the most widespread ibis species, breeding in scattered sites in warm regions of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Atlantic and Caribbean region of the Americas...
, grey-headed lapwings
Grey-headed Lapwing
The Grey-headed Lapwing is a lapwing species which breeds in northeast China and Japan. The mainland population winters in northern Southeast Asia from northeastern India to Cambodia...
and pheasant-tailed jacana
Pheasant-tailed Jacana
The Pheasant-tailed Jacana is a jacana in the monotypic genus Hydrophasianus. Jacanas are a group of waders in the family Jacanidae that are identifiable by their huge feet and claws which enable them to walk on floating vegetation in shallow lakes, their preferred habitat...
. Cormorants, darters, herons, egrets, open-billed storks, spoonbills, white ibis
White Ibis
There are three species of bird named White Ibis.* American White Ibis, Eudocimus albus* Australian White Ibis, Threskiornis molucca* Asiatic White Ibis is an alternative name for the Black-headed Ibis, Threskiornis melanocephala...
, little grebe
Little Grebe
The Little Grebe , also known as Dabchick, member of the grebe family of water birds. At 23 to 29 cm in length it is the smallest European member of its family. It is commonly found in open bodies of water across most of its range.-Description:The Little Grebe is a small water bird with a pointed...
, Indian moorhen
Moorhen
Moorhens, sometimes called marsh hens, are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family Rallidae. They constitute the genus Gallinula....
, black-winged stilts
Black-winged Stilt
The Black-winged Stilt or Common Stilt is a widely distributed very long-legged wader in the avocet and stilt family . Opinions differ as to whether the birds treated under the scientific name H. himantopus ought to be treated as a single species and if not, how many species to recognize...
, purple moorhens
Purple Swamphen
The Purple Swamphen , also known as the African Purple Swamphen, Purple Moorhen, Purple Gallinule, Pūkeko or Purple Coot, is a large bird in the family Rallidae . From its name in French, talève sultane, it is also known as the Sultana Bird...
, warblers, coots and dabchicks have been spotted in large numbers in the marshland. The marsh has also had the distinction of new records of reptiles and plants being described, on a rather regular basis since 2002.
Another rare species spotted in the region is the white-spotted garden skink
Common Garden Skink
The Pale-flecked Garden Sunskink or Common Garden Skink is a small common skink often seen in suburban gardens in Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, but is common across most of Southern Australia and some of New South Wales.-Description:It grows to a maximum of 14 cm, but rarely exceeds a...
having appeared for the first time in Tamil Nadu. Fish such as dwarf gourami
Dwarf gourami
The dwarf gourami, Trichogaster lalius , has an almost translucent blue color, with vertical red to dark orange stripes. In its native range it is dried for food, and it is also kept as an aquarium fish. It has become highly popular for aquaria.Dwarf gouramis from Singapore may carry dwarf gourami...
and chromides that are widely bred and traded worldwide for aquaria, naturally occur in Pallikaranai. Other estuarine fauna present at the marsh includes the windowpane oyster
Oyster
The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
, mud crab
Mud crab
Mud crab may refer to any crab that lives in or near mud, such as:*Scylla serrata, also called mangrove crab and black crab.*Scylla tranquebarica, another variety of the mangrove crab.*Scylla paramamosain...
, mullet
Mullet
- Fish :* Mullet , or "grey mullets", of the family Mugilidae, of which the most widely known species is the striped mullet, Mugil cephalus* Goatfish, or "red mullets", of the family Mullidae; in particular, red mullets of the genus Mullus...
, halfbeak
Halfbeak
The halfbeaks are a geographically widespread and numerically abundant family of epipelagic fish inhabiting warm waters around the world. The family Hemiramphidae is divided into two subfamilies, the primarily marine Hemiramphinae and the freshwater or estuarine Zenarchopterinae...
and green chromide
Green chromide
The green chromide is a species of cichlid fish from freshwater and brackish water in southern India and Sri Lanka...
.
Encroachments and pollution
The external manipulation of the wetland system began in 1806 with the construction of the 421.55 km long Buckingham CanalBuckingham Canal
The Buckingham Canal is a long fresh water navigation canal, running parallel to the Coromandel Coast of South India from Vijayawada 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...
. The marshland experienced several major construction activities, ranging from the National Institute of Ocean Technology, the Centre of Wind Energy Technology, Chennai's Mass Rapid Transport System
Mass Rapid Transit System (Chennai)
The Chennai MRTS is an elevated line of the urban mass rapid transit system in Chennai , India. The line currently runs within the city from Chennai Beach to Velachery, covering a distance of 25 km with 21 stations...
, and flyovers to construction of buildings for educational institutions, IT parks, restaurants, shopping malls, and hospitals, which affected free flow of water. The land occupied by the corporation is 200 acres, including 30 acres where a waste management plant is planned. The locals started using the stagnant water in this part of the marsh as a bathing ghat and as a grazing ground for their cattle.
The existing sewage treatment and disposal facility for south Chennai is located on the immediate periphery and within the marshland. A large-scale sewage treatment facility of the Alandur
Alandur
At the 2001 India census, Alandur had a population of 146,154. Males constituted 51% of the population and females 49%. Alandur had an average literacy rate of 84%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 53% of the males and 47% of females literate. 10% of the population was under 6 years...
municipality is also located on the premises. About 32 million litres of untreated sewage was being released everyday at Thorapakkam by Metrowater, which contaminated water quality. In addition, garbage collected from the city was dumped close to the sewage-letting point. The marshland also houses one of Chennai's largest official dump sites. Over 250 acres of the marsh is choked by half of the city's garbage. The Chennai Corporation
Chennai Corporation
Chennai Corporation , formerly known as Madras Corporation, is the civic body that governs the city of Chennai , India. The Chennai Corporation is the oldest municipal body of the Commonwealth of Nations outside the United Kingdom and the oldest corporation in India...
dumps 1,500 tonnes of waste into the marsh daily.
Despite several court rulings, burning of garbage continued unabated at the marsh and the adjacent area of Perungudi
Perungudi
-Geography:Perungudi is located at . It has an average elevation of 9 metres .- Economy :What was a sleeping small village has become a vibrant and thriving commercial/residential hub after the boom in the Indian IT industry. Perungudi had developed an industrial estate in the 90's...
. All these led to a decrease in the estuarine fauna. Official statistics reveal that, in the absence of source segregation of waste, the dumpyard is eating into 4 ha of marshland every year.
The dumpyard originally covered 19 acres in Sevaram village at Perungudi
Perungudi
-Geography:Perungudi is located at . It has an average elevation of 9 metres .- Economy :What was a sleeping small village has become a vibrant and thriving commercial/residential hub after the boom in the Indian IT industry. Perungudi had developed an industrial estate in the 90's...
in 1970. By mid 1980, the area was completely filled up and then the corporation shifted to the present location in Pallikaranai. While, the marsh which originally covered an area of 5,000 ha had shrunk into 593 ha by 2002, the corporation's dumpyard that covered 56 ha in 2002 had expanded to 136 ha in 2007 and is expanding constantly. Over 4,500 metric tones of garbage are dumped daily in the marsh region from the southern part of the city. In addition, industrial waste is also being dumped in heaps along the water bodies.
The SIPCOT
SIPCOT
The State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu , Limited is an institution owned by the government of Tamil Nadu and is intended as a catalyst for the development of small, medium and large scale industries in Tamil Nadu. It was established in 1972.SIPCOT has established industrial...
Area Community Environmental Monitors group analyzed an ambient air sample collected downwind of the garbage dump in Pallikaranai and found that it contained at least 27 chemicals, 15 of which greatly exceed health-based standards set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
. Three of the 27 chemicals are also known to cause cancer
Carcinogen
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes...
in humans and were found in quantities as high as 34,000 times above safe levels. A research by the Anna University
Anna University
Anna University was a premier technical university in Tamil Nadu, India. Anna University was formed on September 4, 1978, as a unitary university that integrated four technical institutions in the city of Chennai , including the College of Engineering, Guindy, Alagappa College of Technology,...
revealed a large quantity of metallic sedimentation discharged from the Perungudi dumpyard being deposited in the marshland, affecting its biodiversity.
Conservation efforts
In 2002, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control BoardTamil Nadu Pollution Control Board
Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board is the governing body to monitor and control air, noise, and water pollution in the state of Tamil Nadu...
commissioned a study to find out the total area of the marsh and its habitat quality and suggested interventional methods. The survey revealed the presence of 275 species of flora and over 100 species of birds in the wetland. On 20 February 2003, the Kancheepuram district collector issued a gazette notification announcing that 548.14 ha of the marsh area is classified as Protected Land. In late 2005, the government constituted a high-level committee to restore the ecosystem, and in the summer of 2006 the locals formed an environment committee to protect the wetland. In 2007, an eight-member team from Freiburg University in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
conducted a study on the physical and social features of the marsh.
As a first real effort to protect the wetland, the state declared 317 ha (793 acres) of the marsh as a reserve forest on 9 April 2007 (Gazettee notification G.O.Ms.No.52, dated 9-4-2007) under the Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980 and brought under the jurisdiction of the District Forest Officer–Kanchipuram (Tambaram
Tambaram
Tambaram is a suburb of Chennai situated 27 km south of the city in Tamil Nadu, India. It is an urban node. Tambaram is a hub to all major destinations in south Tamil Nadu as it lies on the busy Chennai–Trichy national highway. The highway and the railway line from Chennai Egmore to...
range), a separate range in Chengalpet Forest Division at Kancheepuram with headquarters at Pallikaranai. The Kancheepuram district authorities transferred the land to the forest department. However, researchers suggested that an additional 150 ha on both sides of the Thoraipakkam–Tambaram road bisecting the marsh be declared a reserve forest as birds, especially several varieties of ducks, came there for feeding. Named Pallikaranai Swamp Forest Block, it is the 17th reserve forest area in the Tambaram Range, whose reserve forest area goes up to 56.27 km2 (21.7 miles2) with this addition.
The first scientific bird census in the state conducted in January 2010 revealed that birds still visit the marsh despite the non-stop dumping by the city corporation.
Anticipating the obstruction of the water flow from north to south by the growing garbage mounds, the government directed the civic body to transfer the 150 ha to the forest department. After taking a policy decision to transfer 150 ha of land in Pallikaranai to the forest department, the state government will acquire patches of land in the northern (adjacent to Velachery–Tambaram road) and southeastern parts of the marshland, measuring about 127 ha, to protect the ecosystem in its totality from becoming an open dumpyard. Save Pallikaranai, a campaign for protecting an ecologically sensitive environment despite urban pressures, has achieved significant success owing to people’s participation, sustained media support and a responsive government.
There was a proposal to turn the Pallikaranai marsh into a wetland centre by networking with international agencies to attract funds for its protection and restoration.
In 2011, an adaptive management plan for the Pallikaranai marshland estimated at a cost of 150 million was prepared by Chennai-based NGO called Care Earth, an organisation working towards ecological conservation, which has been sent to the Union Ministry by the state department and is pending for approval. The plan recommends setting up digital boards, depictive murals, viewing decks and towers connected through walkways, aquaria, viewing telescopes, night-vision cameras and camera traps.
The State Forest Department has prepared a comprehensive five-year plan to protect the marshland. Initially, desilting and dredging work at a cost of 10 million per year would be taken up. The plan also includes forming a bio-shield costing 1.087 million annually, removal of aquatic weeds
Aquatic plant
Aquatic plants are plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments. They are also referred to as hydrophytes or aquatic macrophytes. These plants require special adaptations for living submerged in water, or at the water's surface. Aquatic plants can only grow in water or in soil that is...
at a cost of 2.5 million for 5 years, mound planting at a cost of 2.75 million for 3 years, linear planting along the boundary at a cost of 1.65 million and forming flood bund and trail paths at a cost of 34 million. Apart from this, the department is also considering allocation of 5 million for conducting research projects on the marshland, about 6 million towards a bird census, a broad walk path for 3 km in a period of 3 years at a cost of 30 million, watch tower at two places in a period of 2 years at a cost of 2 million, and a wetland centre at a cost of 4 million. In addition, there is also proposal for creating roadside parks, installing signage boards and for conducting awareness camps during the project implementation period at a cost of 4 million as part of the initiative.
The State Forest Department has made the preliminary move to get the marshland declared as a Ramsar site by submitting a compliance report to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...
.
In 2010, steps were taken to facilitate birdwatching
Birdwatching
Birdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...
at the marsh. Fencing has been completed in the area for over half a kilometre along the marshland. The entire stretch of 1.7 km would be provided with benches for the benefit of birdwatchers. The forest department is constructing a compound wall on the southern portion of the marsh covering a distance of 5 km. A 870-m-long portion of the boundary wall has been completed on the Sholinganallur
Sholinganallur
Sholinganallur is a suburb of Chennai located on the IT corridor south of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.- Demographics : India census, Sholinganalur had a population of 15,519....
side of the Pallikaranai marsh to protect the wetland from encroachers.
In September 2011, the civic body initiated the process of handing over the marshland following a request from the Forest Department. The Forest Department, which plans to undertake restoration of the eco-sensitive Pallikaranai marshland, will get 421 acres for the purpose from the Chennai Corporation. The area to be handed over is on the southern side of Radial Road near NIOT junction. The civic body is planning to use only around 200 acres elsewhere in the marshland for its solid waste management project in Perungudi.