Chennai: Environmentalists and bird watchers forecast that by 2020 the number of migrant birds thronging Pulicat lake (bordering Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh) and Vedanthangal in Kancheepuram district will decrease alarmingly as wetlands and water bodies located around these protected sanctuaries are losing out to booming real estate and development activities.
“The Adyar estuary was once a conducive habitat for birds, particularly flamingos and pelicans, but no more, thanks to the high-end residential plots that have come up at MRC Nagar, Santhome and Besant Nagar,” said a forest official who has served in Chennai as a ranger.
Every time I visit Vedanthangal, I can see many real estate plots coming up in Chengalpet and Madurantakam and this, in the longer run, will certainly deplete the feeding grounds of the winged visitors, he explained.
“Whenever there is an intervention in the natural ecosystem, bird life will certainly be affected. There has to be a long-term policy in this regard. Development is important but at what cost?” wonders K.V. Sudhakar, president, Madras Naturalists’ Society. There were a few flamingos and a large number of wetland birds thronging the Adyar estuary, but now we have almost lost the pristine marshland due to buildings and developments, he adds.
“Ponds and lakes located on the fringes of a sanctuary are essential for the bird population to thrive; depletion of water bodies will have adverse effects on birdlife and the aquatic ecosystem,” said bird watcher N. Balaji of Nature Trust.
“Be it Vedanthangal or Pazhaverkadu, the reserves enjoy the status of a sanctuary where any construction or commercial activity is strictly prohibited under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and they are conserved, but we cannot ban development on the outskirts of these reserves as it is a policy decision and does not comes under the purview of the forest department,” a senior forest official said.
