CHENNAI: Memories of flood water rising as high as 10 feet last year has propelled the residents of Narayanapuram into action to restore their wetland. So it isn’t a surprise that with the monsoon around the corner, the project which began during the first week of October already has close to 1,000 residents on board to volunteer. “Our aim is two-fold — to prevent our homes from getting flooded during the monsoons and of course, make provisions to save water while we are it,” said M Sundaram, president of the Federation of Residential Welfare Associations, Pallikaranai.
Following the first meeting to discuss restoration plans held recently, Sundaram added, “The Public Works Department has already begun field work by collecting data, which will be discussed at our next meeting on Sunday. Based on their findings and what is required to be done, responsibilities will be allocated to groups of volunteers to be carried out for a few hours every morning.”
Tasks for the initiative that’s estimated to be completed in three months will include everything from removing weeds by hand so that it prevents choking of plant life in the marsh to bund consolidation that strengthens boundary lines of the wetland to hold maximum capacity of water. “People often confuse restoration with a clean up, but they are entirely different,” said Jayashree Vencatesan of Care Earth Trust, a biodiversity and eco-conservation non-profit that is working along with the project. The initiative is also being aided by VA Tech Wabag, a Chennai-based multinational in the water and wastewater treatment sector.
“Too much cleaning can in fact disrupt with the balance provided by the wetland in the long run,” she explained. “For instance, wetlands are characterised by slopes which are essential for water for spread. What holds these slopes in place is grass. And litter and waste in a polluted wetland get stuck in this grass. Cleaning would mean pulling out the grass altogether, leading to the mud in the slope weakening, and thus aggravating siltation.”
In the end, the character and shape of the wetland is compromised, leading to ‘flash flooding’ or a rapid flooding of a low lying area. “Earlier on water would drain just as quickly as it flooded, as it would flow toward the Buckingham Canal or beach, but with man-made encroachments, there is no place for it to flow leading to further problems for residents in these areas,” Jayashree added.The Narayanapuram wetland, which was recorded as 50 acres in 2011, has lost 10 acres due to encroachments since.