Pallikaranai , a forbidden beauty

source:chennaidreamhomes.com

 If you were asked to name a bird sanctuary in Tamilnadu what would you answer?



Vedanthangal popped up.Isnt it?



Do you know there is one in Chennai with more species of birds than Vedanthangal?

                                                   
                                               Clouds of smoke blocked our transit on a typical office day travel.The garbage dump at Pallikaranai had caught fire and was puffing out heavy smoke.This is not the first time though.Opposite to the garbage dump is this wetland and can be easily mistaken for a waste land as well.It might not catch one's attention expect for the cute small ducks swimming in patterns.As of now there are 115 birds,10 mammals,21 reptiles,10 amphibians,46 fishes,9 molluscans(snail walas ),5 crustaceans( crab walas),7 butterflies and 114 plant species here.

                                           Yet this ecosystem is shrinking not only through encroachment for human establishments but due to the garbage dump as well.Wikipedia says that Chennai Corporation dumps 1500 tonnes of waste daily into this marsh daily.But why here? Adding to that with little space to expand along North Chennai , South Chennai is being encroached now with Pallikaranai among its targets.

                                         About 4 times the bird bio diversity of Vedanthangal, if preserved could not only save this ecosystem but excite our aesthetic nerves too.nammapallikaranai.org , an initiative to save this marshland says in its management plan (Pallikaranai Marsh Management Plan) that a research conducted by Germany and India attributes the flooding of South Chennai during rains to the degradation of the wetland as one of the reasons.Which means using boats on a heavy rainy day in South Chennai to travel on roads can be prevented if this wetland could be preserved(It would absorb most of the water as it is a marshland).
                             
                                         On a positive note , Government has decided to restore this wetland with a project cost of 15 crores spanning over five years.For nature lovers , a bund covering more than 3000 meters will be constructed to watch the birds, walking along the periphery of the marsh.Also an observation center and interpretation centre(photos and description of birds arriving here) are planned to be constructed.
Hope they materialize!

Pallikaranai needs karunai soon!!

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pallikaranai_wetland
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/article3688276.ece
http://nammapallikaranai.org/