The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Naturalists see red as marshland water changes colour

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 12, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Naturalists see red as marshland water changes colour

P.Oppili

Photo: M. Karunakaran

Colour change: A portion of the Pallikaranai marshland which has turned reddish owing to dumping of garbage. —

CHENNAI: Water in a portion of the Pallikaranai marshland has turned reddish, something that has shocked naturalists and environmentalists. They attribute the development to the dumping of garbage in the marshland.

The water had wiped out the vegetation, which in turn had driven away the small water fowls, local migrants, the flora and the micro-organisms from the area.

Jayshree Vencatesan of Care Earth, a bio-diversity research organisation, said the systematic dumping of garbage had resulted in the water turning red. The discharge from the 4,000-4,500 tonnes of un-segregated garbage into the marsh, which is a wetland and not a wasteland, had not only contaminated the groundwater in the region but also putrefied the surface water, she said.

Contrary to public opinion, scientific inputs, and the norms set by a high level committee, which recommended that the dumping be restricted to 200 acres and active measures be taken up for source segregation, the garbage dump had virtually killed the entire northern segment of the marsh. A study conducted by the Care Earth with German environmentalists also highlighted the major role of this dump in causing floods and health hazards to Perungudi and southern parts of Velachery.

The discharge from the freshly dumped garbage has killed the chlorophyll-based life in the water, resulting in the change of colour to red — this is only the first stage before the water turns completely black and putrid, she said.

The polluted water is slowly getting into the southern part of the marsh, which is a reserved forest. Naturalists and environmentalists were demanding the protection of both the southern and northern segment. There was no point in protecting the southern part of the marsh while continuing to dump garbage in the northern segment, they said. The TNPCB should immediately test the water, they added.Dumping garbage along the Pallavaram-Thoraippakkam Radial Road near the Pallikaranai marsh is putting motorists and other road-users in peril. Garbage-laden vehicles were seen unloading the un-segregated waste on the road. A senior Corporation officer said during night hours garbage collected from the nearby village panchayats was illegally dumped on the road. When this came to the notice, the Corporation used earth movers to push the waste into the marsh again. In order to stop such illegal dumping, the civic body had posted adequate personnel to stop/check such activity, the officer added.

Naturalists and Solid Waste Management experts said source segregation at home was the only solution to the problem.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu