A few days before the field trip, we were told about the Pallikaranai wetlands by a wildlife photographer. A wetland is defined as ‘lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by standing water that does not exceed 6 meters’. They are very important, life-supporting ecosystems that have sustained human lives and communities. Locally known as Kazhiveli (a generic Tamil name for Marshes and swamps), the Pallikaranai Marsh drained about 250 sq. km, through two outlets viz. the Okkiyam Madavu (channel) in Okkiyam thuraipakkam and the Kovalam Creek. Draining, here, refers to flood mitigation, ground water recharge and irrigation.
We were shown pictures of the Pallikaranai Marshland as it was a few years back and now. There was a visible degradation in the quality of the ecosystem. The Marshland which is also a home to a large variety of bird-life is slowly becoming unfit for their habitation. We saw the Marshland being used for dumping wastes. The slum-dwellers who reside in the area are also adversely affected due to bad quality of the surroundings as we saw in the pictures.
There are several efforts being undertaken to restore the ecosystem to its original state. We realized that the need for these measures is high and that they need to be implemented as strictly as is possible in order to preserve one of the last recognized marshlands of the country.
This was followed by a visit to the Vandalur Zoo where we were able to spot a variety of indigenous as well as exotic species. Some of the facts mentioned about the animals really interested me. For instance, two birds belonging to a stork species were said to be “made for each other” because one’s death would cause the other to pine away until its own demise. The trip thus proved to be an educational as well as a recreational day-out with the entire class which I thoroughly enjoyed.
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