πPallikaranai Marshland
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Tamil Nadu govt plans to build a high-level bridge to protect the Pallikaranai marshland.
About
βͺοΈPallikaranai Marshland is a freshwater marsh and partly saline wetland situated about 20 kilometres south of the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
βͺοΈIt is one of the last remaining natural wetlands in Chennai city.
βͺοΈIt serves as an aquatic buffer of the flood-prone Chennai and Chengalpattu districts.
βͺοΈIt 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.
βͺοΈOn 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.
βͺοΈIt is one of the Ramsar sites in India.
βͺοΈThe 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.
βͺοΈThese include notable species such as Russellβs viper(Daboia siamensis) and birds such as the glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), grey-headed lapwings (Vanellus cinereus), and Pheasant-tailed jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus).
βͺοΈAlthough tropical in bio-climate, the influence of the Bay of Bengal has been significant on the Marsh.
βͺοΈDramatic changes in its hydrology and biodiversity witnessed annually may be attributed to the maritime influence and the vagaries of the North East Monsoon
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