Chennai: Chennai has failed to protect its wetlands and the December floods is a man made disaster, ecologists point out on World Wetlands Day, being celebrated on Tuesday.
The state lacks a concrete policy on protecting its wetlands and water bodies, they say citing examples in Greater Chennai region.
According to senior forest official, the concept of wetlands protection is yet to gain momentum in Tamil Nadu. Despite several floods in Chennai and Kancheepuram, the state is yet to respond with more stringent laws and there is a need to regulate the real estate sector. Otherwise, more wetlands and agricultural lands will be concretised adding to urban woes, the official said admitting that birds were losing their feeding grounds as wetlands near bird sanctuaries were being promoted for housing projects.
“World Wetlands Day is celebrated globally considering the significance, but we have a long way to go in protecting water bodies. The global theme for the year 2016 is Wetlands for our Future: Sustainable Livelihoods and this suits Chennai as the city saw floods in December due to depletion of water bodies”, said naturalist K.V.R.K. Thirunaranan, founder, The Nature Trust. “To ensure that wetlands are protected, on World Wetlands Day our volunteers will monitor major wetlands in Chennai, including small ponds where migratory and terrestrial birds are documented to emphasise the ecological value of wetlands.” Wetlands not only protect and improve water quality by acting as a natural filter for storm water, but also play a crucial role in conserving estuarine ecology.
“The concept of protecting pristine forests and ecologically sensitive areas is not given prime attention. The case of lakes, ponds and wetlands are even worse,” said animal behaviorist F.M. Jerold of Scan Foundation.
