Chennai: Do you know that the ecosystem in Chennai once facilitated the survival of tigers? Were you told that Adyar River, which is now choked with sewage and garbage once, had a significant growth of mangroves?
Deliberate destruction to the ecology and non-limited human intervention could have spelt doom to the health of the water-bodies, but it is the need of the hour to address the problems and come up with the solution. With the alarming water reality coming back to the limelight, after the devastating floods of November-December 2015, Goethe Institute Chennai is conducting a three-day conference from Thursday at Kalakshetra Foundation to share the knowledge on water resources.
The conference will bring together people from a cross-section of varied backgrounds as well as experts in water management to create a new dialogue on water and urbanization.
The November-December floods of 2015 explain the significance of the conference, say experts. Director of C. P. Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation, Nanditha Krishna, who would be giving a talk on ‘Changing Water Cultures in Chennai and Tamil Nadu’, told DC that the conference would sensitise people about the destruction to the region.
“Traditional eris and water harvesting systems are filled with garbage; constructions had come up on them, which is the reason we had floods last year.
The conference would remind humankind about how important it is to collect and harvest rainwater since we have a rain-fed region. If we possess enough sources to collect rain, we would never have floods. Nor would there be water shortage,” said Nanditha Krishna.
Recollecting the then Madras, the nostalgic Nanditha mentioned, “Mangroves which are now conspicuously absent were largely seen on Adyar River. The quality of Madras has changed over the years.”
Nandithaa would talk of how the presence of marshland and water bodies facilitated Tigers growth in Madras. “Tigers would not have survived in Madras if it was a scrub jungle. Nomenclature of various places in Chennai is linked with the presence of flora and fauna: Purusai Pallam (now Purusawakkam) as the place had tropical red flowers, Vembu Eri (now Vepery) for its neem trees, Palavar Kadu (now Pulicat) due to mangrove presence,” Nanditha added.
During the conference, Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI) would conduct an interactive workshop on urban restoration: Modern Challenges and the need for innovation. On the significance of the conference, Arun Krishnamurthy of EFI told Deccan Chronicle: “Chennai is a critical water habitat. It has the potential to be developed as the best conservation water model for the world, thanks to the presence of different kinds of water bodies: wetlands, lakes, tanks, ponds etc. Unfortunately, there is lot more to be done.”
Leave biodiversity hotspots alone: Dr Ritesh Kumar
“The opportunity cost of losing wetlands is very high. Considering the loss, it is good to leave these biodiversity hotspots as they are,” said Dr. Ritesh Kumar of Wetlands International during the regional media workshop conducted by Indo-Germany biodiversity programme, on behalf of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit(DIZ) on Wednesday.
The workshop was conducted to introduce issues of wetlands conservation, coastal and marine biodiversity to the journalists. Various environmental issues including non-marketed ecosystem benefits of wetlands and their declination and Chennai’s dependence on wetlands were discussed.
“As the fresh water flow is reduced every year, large number of mangrove species is being wiped out. Over 6 species of mangroves are lost in Pichavaram,” said Dr Selvam of MS Swaminathan Research Foundation.
As part of the workshop, a field visit to Pallikaranai Swamp Wetland is being organised on Thursday.
