Winged visitors shun dying water bodies
A first of its kind survey by forest dept done on CM’s order reveals that ponds and tanks are losing their diversity
By : c.s. kotteswaran
Update: 2015-08-12 06:39 GMT
Chennai: Bird watchers and foresters who had conducted a field survey of 31 ponds and tanks in the south of Chennai have found that five ponds are slowly losing their diversity. Three ponds are almost dead with no water, bird life or fish in them. The first of its kind survey taken up in 2014 by the Conservation Authority of Pallikaranai Marsh Land (CAPML) for the Tamil Nadu forest department reveals that migratory and large wading birds have stopped visiting Adambakkam, Meenam-bakkam, Ullagaram, Trisulam, Moovasarampettai and Nemilcherry tanks.
The worst is the case of Nemilicherry tank where unchecked sewage into the water body has killed the water body. Adambakkam, Tirusulam, Moovasarampe-ttai tanks have also lost their connectivity due to indiscriminate real estate. The signs of fish biodiversity have also diminished in more than a dozen tanks due to sewage pollution and indiscriminate dumping of garbage.
Sholingannallur tank which had recorded a healthy population of migratory birds, is suffering from encroachment, the recent survey revealed. “The objective of the preliminary study was to ascertain connections of lakes through the global positioning system. The study had parameters like water storage level, bird diversity, presence of weeds, use and pollution in water bodies,” said lead participant and founder of The Nature Trust, K.V.R.K. Thirunaranan.
During the survey the current threat faced by these 31 tanks were also documented with photographs and if all these water bodies are handed over to the Pallikaranai marshland authority, the tanks can be protected better under the forest protection act, he opined.
“The forest department is trying its best to restore the Pallikaranai marsh land, a pet project of chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, but without the co ordination of the public works department and revenue authorities, these water bodies cannot be protected,” opined a ruling AIADMK councillor of the Sholinganallur zone.