The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Some good news for Pallikaranai marsh

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Sep 08, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Some good news for Pallikaranai marsh

Staff Reporter

Garbage burning has stopped; but dumping has not: naturalists The development follows last week's announcement by Government about plans to make it a protected area

CHENNAI : The Pallikaranai marsh, which has been in the news for all the wrong reasons, now appears to be rid of the problem of garbage burning, according to environmental activists.

Ecology enthusiasts, who spent over two hours visiting the marsh on Monday evening, said the burning of garbage had stopped.

This welcome development follows last week's announcement by the government about plans to make the marshland a protected area and to introduce patrolling along Perungudi - Pallikaranai Road to check illegal dumping of hazardous and non-bio degradable waste.

However, there was no improvement with regard to dumping of waste, particularly hazardous and non-bio degradable materials on the marsh banks.

Pallikaranai area covers about 590 ha, of which 420 ha is marsh. The remaining 170 ha had been very badly affected and the restoration should focus on this area, activists said.

However, the burning of waste at the Alandur Municipality dumping yard continues. Residents in the nearby Mayilai Balaji Nagar have complained that this not only created problems for them, but also those in the new residential colonies that have sprung up in and around the Pallikaranai and Madippakkam Main Road.

Meanwhile, naturalists have sighted more than 700 dabchicks at the marsh. This indicated the beginning of another migratory season for birds, they said.

The Environment department and the State Pollution Control Board should fence the marsh to stop further dumping or poaching, activists urged.

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