Key Facts about Pallikaranai Marshland

About Pallikaranai Marshland:

• It is a freshwater marshand partly saline wetland situated about 20 kilometres south of the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• It is one of the last remaining natural wetlands in Chennai city.
• It serves as an aquatic bufferof the flood-prone Chennai and Chengalpattu districts.
• It drains an area of 250 sq.km, encompassing 65 wetlands, through two outlets, viz., Okkiyam Madavu and the Kovalam Creek, and falls into the Bay of Bengal.
• On its eastern periphery, the Marsh is flanked by the Buckingham Canal.
• Parts of the Marsh are well below the mean sea level and qualify as low-lying basins.
• It is one of the Ramsar sites in India.
• The diverse ecosystem of the marshland supports some 115 bird species, ten mammals, 21 reptiles, ten amphibians, 46 fish, nine molluscs, five crustaceans, and seven butterfly species.
  • These include notable species such as Russell’s viper (Daboia siamensis) and birds such as the glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), grey-headed lapwings (Vanellus cinereus), and Pheasant-tailed jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus).
• Although tropical in bio-climate, the influence of the Bay of Bengal has been significant on the Marsh.
  • Dramatic changes in its hydrology and biodiversity witnessed annually may be attributed to the maritime influence and the vagaries of the North East Monsoon. 

Q1: What is the Ramsar Convention?

It is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites. It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It is named after the city of Ramsar in Iran, where the convention was signed in 1971.

Source: TN govt plans a high-level bridge to protect Chennai’s Pallikaranai marshland