Conservationists and ecologists have disputed the Southern Railways’ claim that the areas surrounding the Udhagamandalam Railway Station are “not wetlands.”
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Following the criticism the Salem Division of Southern Railways faced after altering the more than 125-year-old heritage railway station in Coonoor, and also facing flack for paving a wetland surrounding the railway station in Udhagamandalam, the Railways said, “These areas are not wetlands as presumed by some people; it would not have been possible for the erstwhile railway engineers to construct NMR on wetlands. The fact that these are not wetlands has also been confirmed by the Nilgiris district administration and their revenue records as well.”
The Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority (TNSWA) said in November of 2023 that the wetland adjacent to the railway station in Udhagamandalam was being severely degraded by the construction of a parking lot in violation of the orders of the Madras High Court. Until ground-truthing was completed, and wetlands are notified under the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, it should be protected from being degraded by construction and “development” activities, the Authority had said.
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““This kind of deliberate act of conversion of swamps, marshes and natural lakes, which are natural sponges for groundwater recharge, water purification, biodiversity conservation and climate regulation, needs to be stopped in the larger public interest and penal action should be initiated against the irresponsible officials of the concerned government departments and others as per the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986,” the letter added.
Several conservationists from the Nilgiris have inspected the area surrounding the Udhagamandalam railway station.
An ecological assessment of the area by one ecologist, says, “This wetland has been partially degraded by various anthropogenic disturbances, such as building construction, drainage systems, land modification, and grazing by horses and cows. As a result, some areas of the wetland have been converted into grassland or grazing land. However, there is a stagnant water habitat that supports a large population of native species.”
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The assessment went on to add that currently, the wetland was connected to a local drainage system.
“Interestingly, this wetland has a huge population of Acorus calamus L. (Acoraceae). It is a unique plant preferred in swamps or wetlands only. In Nilgiris, the population of Acorus calamus is reduced due to habitat destruction, degradation, and conversion to grassland,” the assessment stated. There were a total of 20 wetland species that were found in the area surrounding the railway station, 10 of which were native to the landscape.
N. Mohanraj, a Nilgiris-based conservationist, said, “The entire Udhagamandalam town, stretching from Charring Cross, extending to Sholur once constituted one of the largest, wetland ecosystem in the entire district.” Successive developmental works have steadily decreased and degraded the wetland ecosystem. “What little is left needs to be protected,” he said. If plans to continue the construction were implemented, the Good Shed Road, adjoining the wetland, would be more prone to severe flooding in the future.
Godwin Vasanth Bosco, a restoration ecologist and founder of “Upstream Ecology,” said, “While it may not be classified as a wetland in revenue records, looking at the topography, ecology and even the types of invasive plants that occur in the area, clearly shows that it is a wetland.”