CHENNAI: Mayor Saidai S Duraisamy can take a leaf out of his party’s book to evolve plans to save the Pallikaranai marshland. For, the first official step towards conservation was taken during the previous AIADMK regime when in 2005 the government decided in principle to declare the area as a reserved forest and hand it over to the forest department for upkeep. After power changed hands, it 2007, 317 hectares of the marsh was declared reserve land under Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Forest Act. The next steps towards declaring it a reserve forest are yet to be taken.
An expert committee constituted by the Madras High Court had in July 2008 set a time frame of four years for shifting out the garbage dump. That window will end in mid-2012, yet the civic body hasn’t found an alternative site for a scientific landfill. The panel also recommended that two sewage treatment plants operated by the Metrowater and Alandur Municipality in the marsh area be shifted out. No progress on them as yet.
“In fact, the STPs are letting out untreated raw sewage into the marsh. While considerable amount of damage is done, if the practice is not stopped immediately, the harm will be even greater,” warns Dr Jayashree Vencatesan, managing trustee, Care Earth, an organisation working on conserving biodiversity.
It was Care Earth that conducted the first scientific study to document the rich biodiversity of the marsh. The study found that the wetland is home to over 330 species of plants and animals. What was once 5,500 hectare swamp has now been reduced to around 600 ha due to housing projects and encroachments. The most visible and potent impact of the shrinkage is the extensive flooding of southern Chennai areas every monsoon, Dr Jayashree says.
Historically, the marsh was spread over an area of 50 sq km that comprised a large marsh, smaller satellite wetlands, large tracts of pasture land and patches of dry forests. It had a catchment area of 250 sq km.