As part of our environmental science activities we paid a visit to the Pallikaranai wetland on OMR road. This marshland is the only surviving wetland ecosystem of the city and is among the few and last remaining natural wetlands of South India. We were addressed by a renowned photographer who enlightened us on the subject and said that the marshland provides home to a number of endangered species and acts as a breeding ground for thousands of birds that migrate from all over the world.
Arriving at pallikaranai welcoming us was a very painful sight. What used to be a beautiful marshland once has now turned into a waste yard to dump the city’s waste. Solid wastes dumped along the road, discharge of sewage, construction of buildings and railway stations have shrunk the wetland to a great extent. But the issue of greater concern was the pathetic state of the people living in the dumping ground. The public does not get a chance to hold a talk with them as the government denies public access to the dump yard. We were only able to take a look at their pictures and sympathise.
However the good news is that efforts are being made to protect the remaining wetland from shrinking further. “On 26 March 2012, the state government announced that the scheme of restoring and conserving the marshland would be implemented in the coming year with an outlay of 50 million. Setting up of a Pallikaranai Marsh Conservation Society has also been proposed.”-Wikipedia. Save Pallikaranai, a campaign for protecting an ecologically sensitive environment despite urban pressures, has achieved significant success owing to people’s participation, sustained media support and a responsive government.
This is Pallikaranai Marsh slowly shrinking and dying due to Government's lethargic attitude:
Following that was a visit to the Arignar Anna Zoological Park(Vandalur Zoo), the first public zoo in India.” In 1979, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department set aside 1,265 acres in the Vandalur Reserve Forest on the outskirts of the city to build the current zoo, which is the largest zoological garden in India and the Indian Subcontinent and one of the largest in the world. . It houses more than 170 species of animals in about 81 enclosures”-Wikipedia It’s one of the most famous zoological gardens in the country
There is one big lesson to learn from them, the zoo has been able to maintain a plastic-free and litter-free zone in its environs by stopping people at the very entrance and making them dispose of their plastic bags and visitors seem only too willing to abide by that rule. The main reason in banning plastics in the zoo is that they might find their way into the animal cages and be consumed by the hapless beings. This could cause severe discomfort and even lead to the death of some of the rare breeds of animals found in this spectacular zoo. Another equally important reason is that plastic litter destroys the green environs of the zoological park. But since it is spread over a sprawling area, one should be prepared to walk to explore the animal and bird kingdoms.
In a steadily urbanising world where care and attention to animals seem to be inconspicuous places like the vandalur zoo seem to provide a small ray of hope to the rapidly diminishing animal species and help in maintaining the fauna. Besides it is always a pleasure to get united with the nature, especially in cities where there is hardly an opportunity to do so and I’m glad to have been a part of it.
Arriving at pallikaranai welcoming us was a very painful sight. What used to be a beautiful marshland once has now turned into a waste yard to dump the city’s waste. Solid wastes dumped along the road, discharge of sewage, construction of buildings and railway stations have shrunk the wetland to a great extent. But the issue of greater concern was the pathetic state of the people living in the dumping ground. The public does not get a chance to hold a talk with them as the government denies public access to the dump yard. We were only able to take a look at their pictures and sympathise.
However the good news is that efforts are being made to protect the remaining wetland from shrinking further. “On 26 March 2012, the state government announced that the scheme of restoring and conserving the marshland would be implemented in the coming year with an outlay of 50 million. Setting up of a Pallikaranai Marsh Conservation Society has also been proposed.”-Wikipedia. Save Pallikaranai, a campaign for protecting an ecologically sensitive environment despite urban pressures, has achieved significant success owing to people’s participation, sustained media support and a responsive government.
This is Pallikaranai Marsh slowly shrinking and dying due to Government's lethargic attitude:
Following that was a visit to the Arignar Anna Zoological Park(Vandalur Zoo), the first public zoo in India.” In 1979, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department set aside 1,265 acres in the Vandalur Reserve Forest on the outskirts of the city to build the current zoo, which is the largest zoological garden in India and the Indian Subcontinent and one of the largest in the world. . It houses more than 170 species of animals in about 81 enclosures”-Wikipedia It’s one of the most famous zoological gardens in the country
There is one big lesson to learn from them, the zoo has been able to maintain a plastic-free and litter-free zone in its environs by stopping people at the very entrance and making them dispose of their plastic bags and visitors seem only too willing to abide by that rule. The main reason in banning plastics in the zoo is that they might find their way into the animal cages and be consumed by the hapless beings. This could cause severe discomfort and even lead to the death of some of the rare breeds of animals found in this spectacular zoo. Another equally important reason is that plastic litter destroys the green environs of the zoological park. But since it is spread over a sprawling area, one should be prepared to walk to explore the animal and bird kingdoms.
In a steadily urbanising world where care and attention to animals seem to be inconspicuous places like the vandalur zoo seem to provide a small ray of hope to the rapidly diminishing animal species and help in maintaining the fauna. Besides it is always a pleasure to get united with the nature, especially in cities where there is hardly an opportunity to do so and I’m glad to have been a part of it.
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