None of the public stakeholders who were present at a meeting on Monday, to discuss about the Eco Park planned in the retrieved land in the Perungudi dumpyard in the Pallikaranai marshland, supported the project.
The Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department had announced the project, expected to be modelled after Tholkappia Poonga in Adyar Creek, estimated at ₹185.42 crore in 2023. The project will accommodate six ponds, watch towers, public toilets and parking facilities. According to the architect who explained the park’s plan, 62.4% of the park would be green cover, 25.56% ponds and the rest for pathways, parking etc.
During the discussions, when DMK MLA of Sholinganallur S.Aravind Ramesh asked if any supporters of the project could step forward, there was silence.
NGT order
In 2022, the eco-sensitive and biodiverse Pallikaranai marsh was designated as a Ramsar site, a tag declaring the wetland as a site of international importance. The meeting was held after a recent direction from the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordering the Corporation, one of the major occupants of the marsh with 173.56 hectares in its possession, to find an alternative site for its dumpyard to allow the marsh to be restored to its original status.
Notably, the Madras High Court, in September 2021, had ordered the State authorities to shift the dump yard from Perungudi. While this was not done, the Corporation launched biomining in the 225-acre dumpyard and has so far reclaimed around 44 acres.
Feet down
T.D. Babu, a marine biologist and an environmental auditor claimed that the initiative needs to be explained by an ecologist and not the proposed park’s architect. He cited earlier reports that genetic material for Oryza rufipogon, a wild species of rice, was found in the marshland and that the ecosystem once supported notable species such as Russell’s viper. Deeming the project to be human-centric and not nature-centric, he claimed, “Bioremediation involves usage of microorganisms to degrade contaminants in soil or groundwater.”
The Corporation was asked to explain if there were any such projects done before nationally or globally, how people benefitted from the plan and how the Tholkappia Poonga project improved biodiversity.
Bhuvana Raj of Thalambur in Chengalpattu district claimed that, as per hydrological maps, her area and its neighbourhood was flooded in December 2023 since the marsh did not receive the water diverted to it as the catchment area was reduced over the years.
A brief debate broke out between her and Councillor Ward 184 S. V. Ravichandran because the latter insisted the water from Thalambur flows via Sholinganallur and Okkiyam Maduvu and does not go to the marshland.
Rajan Paul of Kamarajar Nagar Resident Welfare Association, claiming he was neither for nor against, requested that the manure produced at the dumpyard be sold to landscapers like himself, instead of being discarded. According to Geetha Ganesh of AGS Colony Residents’ Welfare Association (ACRWA) in Velachery, stormwater from Velachery, Adambakkam, Taramani, Alandur, Madipakkam, Pallikaranai, Narayanapuram and other neighbouring areas drains to the marsh, hence the land must be dredged and desilted periodically to hold more flood water instead of being converted to a park.
Final decision
Speaking to The Hindu, Shankar Lal Kumawat, Additional Commissioner (Health), said the public suggestions received will be examined before making a final decision.
DMK Sholinganallur MLA S.Aravind Ramesh, Regional Deputy Commissioner (South) M.P. Amith, Zone 14 Ward Committee Chairman and Ward 184 Councillor S. V. Ravichandran, Chief Engineer (in-charge) (SWM and Mechanical) T. Saravanabavanantham and many officials were present.
