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Pallikaranai Marshland : Protection

Pallikaranai Marshland : Protection

Tamil Nadu govt plans to build a high-level bridge to protect the Pallikaranai marshland.

  • Pallikaranai Marshland is a freshwater marsh and partly saline wetland situated about 20 kilometres south of the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
  • It is one of the last remaining natural wetlands in Chennai city.
  • It serves as an aquatic buffer of the flood-prone Chennai and Chengalpattu districts.
  • It drains an area of 250 sq.km, encompassing 65 wetlands, through two outlets, viz., Okkiyam Madavu and the Kovalam Creek, and falls into the Bay of Bengal.
  • On its eastern periphery, the Marsh is flanked by the Buckingham Canal.
  • Parts of the Marsh are well below the mean sea level and qualify as low-lying basins.
  • It is one of the Ramsar sites in India.
  • The diverse ecosystem of the marshland supports some 115 bird species, ten mammals, 21 reptiles, ten amphibians, 46 fish, nine molluscs, five crustaceans, and seven butterfly species.
  • These include notable species such as Russell’s viper(Daboia siamensis) and birds such as the glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), grey-headed lapwings (Vanellus cinereus), and Pheasant-tailed jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus).
  • Although tropical in bio-climate, the influence of the Bay of Bengal has been significant on the Marsh.
  • Dramatic changes in its hydrology and biodiversity witnessed annually may be attributed to the maritime influence and the vagaries of the North East Monsoon.