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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Great Cormorants at Chinapannahalli Lake in Bangalore

9th June 2017

Bangalore was a city of lakes, big and small.  Most have been lost to development, others foam and burn like from some end-of-the-world science fiction movie, and there are a few that hang on desperately and precariously.

The lake, off Brookefield Main Road

One such little jewel that I discovered through my friend Raji was Chinapanahalli lake, off Brookefield Main Road.  Raji had come across it recently, and we walked there one morning last week. She wanted to show me the bunch of Great Cormorants that she had seen there.

It was a typical cool and overcast Bangalore June morning.  We got off the main road and into the byelanes, There were Markhamia trees lining the roads, dotted with yellow flowers and their telltale long hanging seed pods.  Street dogs were having their own territorial battles that did not include us thankfully, and a fruit seller pushed his cart full of tempting mangoes down the street.

My eyes widened with delight as we came on to the lake bund, and my first site was a bunch of large black cormorants with webbed feet, sunning themselves on a rock in the middle of the lake.  Just as I was looking at them in the distnace, we saw people milling around and staring at the edges of the lake.  There were agitated conversations in Bengali, Hindi, Kannada and Tamil as various families stopped and pointed.

Fish gasping for air

We looked too, and then discovered the source of dismay - dead fish on the surface, dozens of them - large and small.

We walked a little further and came across this huge school of big fish literally gasping for air at the surface.  Quite clearly the oxygen in the water was insufficient, and they needed oxygen from the air.  it seemed that the overnight rain had washed the effluents into the lake.  It was a downer for sure, and we walked despondently and helplessly, wondering where to begin in this big mess that we are causing.

A manmade bund in the middle of the lake was a good perching point

One species problem was another's feast, however, and the Cormorants were indulging in sheer gluttony, as the sluggish fish were easy prey.  They dived under and would come up with large fish that they would swallow in three gulps, before diving again.

Egrets, grey herons and a solitary night heron also fished, and pond herons were caught between displaying their breeding plumage and enjoying the fish.  

Brahminy Kites glided across, and a solitary Spot billed duck went on a flypast.

But for me, the bird of the day was the Great Cormorants. (Phalacrocorax carbo) that sat on the rocks, flew overhead and fished merrily and greedily.  We recognised them from their large size, the gular pouch which one chap was gurgling away, and the white on their flanks.  I have not seen these cormorants frequently, and I remember last spotting them at Dungarpur in 2008!

There were also Little Cormorants, that we see quite often.  A couple of possibly Juvenile Indian Shags as well, though of this I was not very sure.  Raji has promised to go back and take a better look and confirm the id in the course of the week!

Our bird list in an hour

Great Cormorant
Little Cormorant
Red Wattled Lapwing
Pond heron
Little Egret
Intermediate Egret
Black crowned Night Heron
Grey Heron
Purple Heron
White breasted water hen
Brahminy Kite
Black Kite
Little Grebe
White breasted Kingfisher
Common myna
Spotted Dove
Red vented bulbul
Tailor bird


Raji spotted a Little and Pied Kingfisher the next day, and also reported that the fish were not in distress.  However, on the 11th June, once again they were gasping for breath, and the lake had many dead fish.

She has also seen Painted Stork at the lake, but obviously they are not resident.  

Lets hope this lake continues to thrive.  According to an article in TOI, the lake area has shrunk from  50 to 15 acres, and has been restored by a trust after the BBMP cited lack of funds for inaction.   

The icing on the cake was some balcony birding as well - rose ringed parakeets, bee eaters, a magpie robin, flameback and bulbuls.

The unusual ecological tale of Sippighat, Andamans

Our wonderful week at the Andaman islands included stopping by at Sippighat.  (The place names on the islands are a delightful mixture, and warrant an independent post - ranging from Junglighat, Dollygunj, Guptapara and Sippighat to Aberdeen and Rifleman Island!)

The newly formed Sippighat "wetlands".  All those black dots are waterbirds - whistling ducks, cotton teals and coots.

The tsunami of Dec 26th of 2004 changed many things all around us, and Andamans was affected in several ways, with an enormous human toll and ecological changes.  Some islands sunk by as much as a metre because of the earthquake, and at Sippighat, which is about 10kms from Port Blair the seawaters rolled in on a 10m high tsunami wave, and the land was inundated, and has remained waterlogged ever since.  The army has built a bridge to get across the newly formed water bodies.

Why could they not use these boats, I wondered.  or did the
tsunami wave wreck them?

We drove by the morning we arrived, on our way to ANET at Wandoor, and we saw the skeletons of drowned boats, submerged homes and abandoned building projects.

As we gawked in astonishment at this, a bunch of whistling teals took off from the water, with their characteristic whistling call, did a sortie and landed back in.  These freshwater ducks had obviously adapted to the now brackish waters of Sippighat, just like the Cotton Teal groups?

White-bellied sea eagle - Photo by Pritam

Up above, a White-bellied sea eagle glided lazily as a common myna flapped its wings busily, trying to keep up with it.  

We clearly saw the characteristic wedge-shaped tail, and raised wings while gliding

The Sea Eagle was a delight - it swooped down into the waters and picked up a fish in its talons, with one expert dive, and the bunch of us "aahed" involuntarily!

The waters were abuzz with bird life - swamp hens, coots and egrets of all sizes.  The swallows swooped around in the air above, but there was no sign of the Andaman Teal which supposedly is found here.  

Cotton Teal  Nettapus coromandelianus - Photo by Sivakumar

Cotton Teals swam by in groups - and in our excitement, the females were first mistaken for Andaman Teals.  A closer look and much discussion ensued, since none of us had seen an Andaman Teal earlier, it was worse than the one-eyed leading the blind!

The Forest Dept board finally did help, as quite clearly, the ducks we were seeing had an eye stripe and not the white ring around the eye.

It was a cloudy morning, and every now and then there would be a welcome thundershower for a few minutes, but yet we sweated inside our raincoats, the showers increasing the already high humidity levels.

The relatively new army bridge across the waters.  The waters have become a means of moving goods across the island.

We watched some feral ducks, kingfishers and a lone Great Knot busy in the mud.  Suddenly there was a commotion among the Cotton Teals, and three males were mobbing one hapless female, who was trying to get away, quite unsuccessfully.  I was sorely tempted to throw a stone at those male ducks and scatter them....should I have?

We were commandeered into the bus by Vijay, as Manish and team waited at ANET, and the cloudy sky looked ominous.

On another evening visit, on the way back from Chidiyatapu, we stopped again and this time Zoya from ANET took us in to another part of Sippighat and there we did see the Andaman teals (Anas albogularis) with their characteristic eye patch.  These are endemic to these islands, and are now considered as a separate species from Sunda Teals.  There are supposedly about a thousand of these teals. and we were privileged to see a large flock of them. 

Andaman teals (Anas albogularis) - Photo by Sivakumar

Once again though, for me, it was the White Bellied Sea Eagle that was most memorable.  We saw a pair of them, roosting in the trees beyond the waters, and what appeared to be a nest was spotted through our binoculars.

They took turns gliding over the waters, before perching majestically on the tree, settling down for the evening.

White Bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) -
Photo by Sivakumar

Andaman endemics

Andaman Crested Serpent Eagle - pic courtesy Pritam Kukilaya

Andaman Woodpecker - pic courtesy Pritam Kukilaya

The havelis of Fatehpur

April 6th 2017
Fatehpur, Rajasthan

Travelling on work throws up all sorts of surprises.  So it was on a hot, sandy morning at Fatehpur, where a bunch of us had travelled to from Jaipur, in search of farmers.  I had not had the time (or inclination I have to admit) to look up Sikar or Fatehpur on a map.  On the road, the boards indicated that we were on the Bikaner highway.  The Bikaner boards reminded me of our Rajasthan trip from a couple of years ago - the carcass dump of Jorbeer,  beautiful cranes of Kichan, the havelis of Phalodi, the Thar desert, kher sangri and bustards.

It was a usual chaotic scene, with transport in all shapes and sizes, from slow moving camels to large lumbering trucks, all jostling for space on a road that was definitely several sizes too small for all of this.

We arrived and hurried or rather, scurried, across avoiding the sand that was being whipped up by the hot winds, when I saw this large, decrepit and desolate haveli on the opposite side of the road.

Turns out, we were in Shekhawati lands, the area in north Rajasthan, where wealthy Marwari merchants built their homes, in the eighteenth century or thereabouts, only to begin to move away to other parts of the country, including Madras, to escape from invasions as also to grow their fortunes.

Two havelis, next to each other, and I was both amazed, and saddened.

The board read, "Kedia Haveli".  But it was in total neglect, it seemed.  Political and movie posters were stuck across its pillars, and front facades.  

The Kedia haveli, according to Wikipedia,

The haveli has two chawnks or courtyards a garden with fountain at back and Naals on both sides; the wall paintings are traditional. It has a library and modern baths. It was first haveli in Fatehpur to have electricity (via generators) and called Bijliwali Haveli. In 1931 AD Sitaram Kedia was married to the daughter of Bajaj family of Bisau. On this occasion Rao Raja Maharaj Shri Kalyan Singh Ji Bahadur of Sikar Thikana came to bless the couple. Seth Shree Bohitram Kedia brought an aeroplane (popularly called 'Cheel Gadi' or eagle craft) to scatter invitations printed on handkerchiefs for all and flower petals on His Royal Highness. Pleased with the courtesy and respect His Royal Highness granted the family of Seth Shree Bohitram Kedia permission  to wear gold ornaments below their waist (a privilege that only royals enjoyed in that era).
Although most rooms are locked one can visit the haveli free of any charge, courtesy the Kedia family.

On my return I found this better picture of the entrance in Wikimedia, and looks like it was opened up for the photograph.  But the posters are still there.

Traces of the freehand wall murals can be seen.  Shekhawat wall murals are well known.

Fatehpur has other important havelis it appears.  Saraf, Fatehchand and the Nandlal Devra havelis.

The last mentioned has been restored, now serves as a homestay, cum artists revival project, spearheads the restoration of the havelis, and much more.

See the link http://www.cultural-centre.com/.  Sadly, since I knew none of this before hand, and we returned to Jaipur that evening, I could not visit any of the others.  Lack of any data connectivity at Fatehpur meant all my learning and discovery happened later.

Moral of this story for me is - always do your homework before you travel.

Greater Flamingos at Kutch

greater flamingos at kutch - YouTube:

Saving Ennore Creek

Poromboke is an old Tamil word meaning shared-use community resources like waterbodies, seashore and grazing lands that are not assessed for tax purposes. Today, it has become a bad word used to describe worthless people or places. Chennai Poromboke Paadal is part of a campaign to reclaim the word and restore its worth.

Video subtitle text:

Poromboke (n.)
/por-um-pokku/

1. places reserved for shared communal uses
(water bodies, grazing lands . . . )
2. a pejorative intended to demean and devalue a person or place

How did the meaning change from the first to the second?

Poromboke is not for you, nor for me
It is for the community, it is for the earth (* 4)

Poromboke is in your care, it is in mine (*2)
It is our common responsibility towards nature, towards the earth

Poromboke is in your care, it is in mine
It is our common responsibility towards nature, towards the earth


The flood has come and gone, what have we learnt from that? (*2)
To construct buildings inside waterbodies, what wisdom is that?
The flood has come and gone, what have we learnt from that?
To construct buildings inside waterbodies, what wisdom is that?

On the path that rainwater takes to the sea
What need have we of concrete buildings? (*2)

It was not the rivers that chose to flow through cities (*2)
Rather, it was around rivers that the cities chose to grow
It was not the rivers that chose to flow through cities
Rather, it was around rivers that the cities chose to grow

And lakes that rainwater awaited
Poromboke – they were reverently labeled (*2)

After Ennore got its power plant (*2)
Acres of ash, but river scant
After Ennore got its power plant,
Acres of ash, but river scant

The sea and the river, he has kept apart (*2)
The white sky, he blackened

The sea and the river, he has kept apart 
The white sky, he blacked (*2)

Once he gets done with Ennore, he will come for your place too (*3)
If you stop, challenge or dare to resist, ‘MAKE IN INDIA’ he will lie and insist (*3)

Growth, jobs, opportunities; these are just flimsy excuses (*2)
For one who sold the waterbodies, the lake is mere poromoboke 

Growth, jobs, opportunities; these are just flimsy excuses 
For one who sold the waterbodies, the lake is mere poromoboke (*2)

You and I, then; what are we to him? (*2)

We are poromboke too (*2)

I certainly am poromboke! (*2)

How about you? Are you poromboke too?
I certainly am poromboke!
How about you? Are you poromboke too?
I certainly am poromboke!



Credits:

Featuring TM Krishna

Concept: Nityanand Jayaraman
Director: Rathindran R Prasad

Lyrics: Kaber Vasuki
Music: RK Shriramkumar

COMB DUCK AT SHOLINGANALLUR

I love this duck, and I am so excited overtime I see it.  I didn't see it this time, but Mr Ramanan did, at Sholinganallur.

Sarkidiornis melanotos - the beautiful wing colours catch the sun. Photo by Mr Ramanan

It's a large duck and shows up in our waters every other year. migrating down for the winter, and they look quite distinctive with their speckled heads and the 'comb' on the head of the male.

Photo by Mr Ramanan - the distinctive comb for the male

Photo by Mr Ramanan

I need to go and pay a visit to Sholinganallur, soon.