The Hindu      27.07.2012

Pallikaranai wetland in makeover mode

Much awaitedThe completion of the eco-restoration project will take five
years and cost about Rs. 15 crore—Photo: A. Muralitharan

Eco-restoration of a portion of Pallikaranai marshland
is currently under way. Once completed, it will increase the roosting
area for birds, and also help in improving ground water table in nearby
residential localities.

Work is under progress on
about 100 acres of land near the southernmost point of the marshland.
The area lies behind the nearly-400 acre ELCOT Special Economic Zone on
Perumbakkam Main Road which connects Velachery Main Road at Medavakkam
and Rajiv Gandhi Salai at Sholinganallur junction.

Forest
department officials said, at present, mounds were being created by
scooping out earth. The dug out parts had accumulated water due to the
recent rains resulting in a profusion of fish and snails that in turn
attracted birds.

The Pallikaranai wetland is one of
the most important ecosystems in the metropolis. The marshland was
originally spread over nothing less than 5,000 hectares and has now
reduced to around 500 hectares due to indiscriminate construction and
dumping of garbage.

An announcement in the policy
note of the State government’s forest department last year set the ball
rolling for the restoration project as well as the creation of a
conservation authority.

The completion of the
eco-restoration project will take five years and cost about Rs. 15
crore. However, it was not until early this year that preliminary work
on the wetland began.

A water course spread over two
hectares is being spruced up. Water channels that transport run-off
during the monsoon from Perumbakkam and other areas to the Okkiyam
Maduvu through the marshland are also being deepened and desilted.

Not
only will this prevent flooding of localities on either sides of
Perumbakkam Main Road, but also increase the level of water inside the
100-acre area, an official said.

A bund for a
distance of more than 3,000 metres is being developed and when
completed, nature lovers will be able to walk along the periphery.An observation centre from where visitors can watch the birds will come up inside the core area of Pallikaranai marshland.

Also
in the pipeline is an interpretation centre where photographs of birds
that visit the marshland will be displayed. This will encourage schools
and colleges to conduct educational tours and also raise awareness among
the public about the rich flora and fauna, the official said.

Sources said a few thousand saplings of Arjuna (
neer maththi
), Portia (
poovarasan
), bamboo (
moongil
) and rosewood (
sisu
) would be planted here.According to K.V.R.K.
Thirunaran of The Nature Trust, nothing less than 127 varieties of birds
have been sighted at Pallikaranai, significantly higher than the number
at Vedanthangal.This went to prove the diversity and importance of the wetland, he said.