Madras' waterways - in need of help

I usually return on late night flights and rarely get to see the coastline from the air.  In the recent past, as I returned home during the day, I enjoyed the views of the Bay of Bengal and our Coromandel coast, with its lovely beaches.

Bapatla beach, Pulicat lake and then down to Ennore.

Ennore creek - when you see it from the air, you realise how large and important this ecosystem is. I wondered what that green stagnant pond was.

8,000 acres which should be protected under the Coastal Zone Management Map of 1996.

This CZMP seemed to have mysteriously vanished and has surfaced, after many a RTI to show blatant violations.

The New Indian Express published this article in 17th June 2017,

State and Central government entities have converted over 1,000 acres of the ecologically sensitive Ennore creek — and have more in the pipeline — in violation of mandatory procedures, alleged activists on Friday in a revelation that raises serious concerns.
The creek’s 8,000-acre water spread area is classified as CRZ-1 (Coastal Regulation Zone), where development is strictly regulated, according to Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) of 1996. As per CRZ notification, this is the only approved map, and the state and district coastal zone management authorities have to refer to it while appraising all applications seeking clearance.
In two separate RTI responses to Coastal Resource Centre, an NGO, the Tiruvallur district Coastal Zone Management Authority (CZMA) and the State CZMA have revealed that neither has a copy of the approved map for Ennore creek. The district authority admitted that it relied solely on the maps submitted by the project proponents.
“The CZMP of 1996 has so far been kept under the carpet. Major establishments like Kamarajar Port and the thermal power plants have got clearances based on unapproved maps prepared by their consultants. This is a serious violation by State and Central public sector undertakings,” said Nityanand Jayaraman of Save Ennore Creek Campaign.
Some of the activities like port and oil storage containers are permitted in CRZ-1, but the basis on which the clearances were obtained was wrong.
Kamarajar Port is now converting 280 acres of waterbody into land for a coal yard, TANGEDCO is also dumping sand and blocking the creek to construct a coal conveyor belt for the Ennore Thermal Power Station and Bharat Petroleum is building a storage facility on 102 acres of the wetland. “Such activities are strictly prohibited in CRZ-1 and clearances can’t be granted as per the CZMP approved in 1996.”
For obtaining clearance, BPCL submitted maps prepared by Institute of Remote Sensing (IRS), according to which the project site falls in CRZ-1(A), CRZ-1(B) and CRZ-3. Based on this map, the State coastal zone management authority has issued clearance with the condition that no activity be carried out in CRZ-1 areas. However, IRS maps are not approved, and CZMP map shows the entire project site falls in CRZ-1 area, which meant clearance shouldn’t have been granted.
Releasing the documents, retired Madras High Court Justice D Hariparanthaman, and former expert member of the National Green Tribunal, R Nagendran, noted that the creek automatically enjoys protection under Wetland Rules, 2010.
Meanwhile, an open letter endorsed by Environmentalist Foundation  of India, Poovulagin Nanbargal, Ilanthamizhagam and Arappor Iyakkam has been sent to chief secretary seeking to further halt encroachment and declare it as a ‘climate sanctuary’.

The Ennore Creek sees the confluence of Kosasthalaiyar river, North Buckingham Canal and the sea.  Flash dumping has also caused silting of the canal and almost brought to a halt flow into the sea.

The "Save Ennore Creek" movement hopes to do, well just that - save the creek.  In January this year TM Krishna sang the poromboke song as a bid to increase awareness of the dreadful state of the creek.

On another flight back home, I came in over the Adyar estuary.

Beautiful waterways, but where is the mouth?  A huge sandbank means that water (or, what I like to believe is water) really does not flow to the sea.  

In the foreground, is the successful Adyar Poonga project, which has restored one bit (about 58 acres) of the Creek that is part of the estuarine ecosystem.  It has  restored the natural ecosystem and flora and fauna is once again thriving in this little part of the whole estuary.

The green lung of the TS is the saving grace on the southern side of the river bank, while the northern side faces the relentless pressure of development.

As we came down to land, I enjoyed the view of the GNP, and the polo grounds, once again a green space that keeps the pollution levels down and is a precious refuge for urban wildlife.

Idiosyncratic, humid and hot it may be, but it is still home.  Every time I land back, there is that inexplicable joy in the heart that I cannot explain.  More than one more bridge, more than one more mall, I wish our planners show the will to save our waterways, restore the green cover and safeguard our poromboke lands.

TADOBA through the lens of Mr Ramanan

Mr Ramanan visited Tadoba in April this year, and the temperatures of 49 degrees Celsius thankfully did not affect his photography!  The TATR - Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve - is in the centre of India, in Maharashtra, and a reserve that I have not visited.

The forest awaited the monsoons, the teak trees were bare and all creatures big and small looked for shade.

This Brown fish owl (Ketupa zeylonensis) was spending its days in the shade, probably close to a water body.At night, it would be out to hunt.

Orange headed Rock Thrush on the dry teak leaves of the forest floor.  Tadoba is predominantly teak forests.  But is that a largestromia flower peeking at us?

A Crested Serpent Eagle surveys the forest floor for prey

Oriental Honey Buzzard - at the lake.  The sanctuary has the Andhari river running through it, and the Tadoba lake.  The lake is a great place for sightings.

Chousingha (Tetracerus quadricornis), a small four-horned antelope, solitary by nature, and whose numbers are dwindling, as forests have become isolated.  Tadoba is one the few refuges left for this herbivore. A dove walks by in the background.

A barking deer, moving close to a bamboo grove, probably looking for some shade. No antlers as yet for this one.

A massive gaur also at the watering hole.  Their numbers have swelled and they are now a common site in plantation towns in the hills.

The sloth bear on the other hand is an uncommon sighting in the wild   I have not seen one as yet.  Whenever I see pictures of them, I feel that they desperately need a grooming!

As Thyaga remarked, what is it that you didn't see, Mr Ramanan?!  The summer heat meant that all animals looked to minimise their movements.   In a way its arguably the best time to visit a sanctuary, if you are interested in sightings.  Physically uncomfortable, but great sightings!  I personally love to visit when forests are green, and so usually end up not seeing very much beyond the lovely magnificent trees.  The trees are wonderful in themselves, and I do not regret the lack of sightings.

There were a spate of killings by leopards of villagers around Tadoba in 2013, and there was a move to radio collar some of them.  This one obviously not one of them.  

And just when I thought, ok he did not spot a tiger, I saw these pictures!

A summer snooze for the top carnivore.

This is the cub of the tigress named Rani

There are a 100 + tigers in the 650 odd sq kms of the TATR.  Tadoba, Pench, Kanha... one contiguous forest not so long ago, but now islands separated by human habitation.

And as I write this, the forests have been further decimated as the Pench-Kanha corridor is witnessing the development of an elevated highway.  The elevated sections are supposed to mitigate the effect on wildlife by allowing them to cross underneath.

Is this realistic and what about the interim displacement and habitat loss?  Could not the highway skirt this corridor?

The comb duck at Sholinganallur

Comb Duck (Sarkidiornis melanotos).  Males have the "comb".

One of the largest of the duck species and seen if freshwater wetlands.

They are found in southern Africa and south Asia.  But not so often in Madras.

While I first saw them in significant numbers in Bharatpur and at Chilika, the 2017 bird race was the first time I saw them in my city.

All these beautiful pictures from Mr Ramanan, who visits the marshes almost every weekend!

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