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Figure 4 Pallaikarnai Marshland's catchment area has been shrinking in recent years as depected
Greater Chennai Corporation Making Room for More Waste at Perungudi Dump Yard? | Chennai News - Times of India, n.d.). The fact that this enormous dumping facility is located amid a wetland reveals all of the potential issues. The dumpsite, for example, is poorly drained and in close touch with the aquifer, posing a risk of groundwater contamination. In addition, sewage, both untreated and treated, is discharged into the wetlands. Metrowater, the Chennai metropolitan area's water supply agency, has been dumping 32 million litres of sewage straight into the wetlands every year, pushing the TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) over the allowed limit of 500 mg/l to even greater than 2000 mg/L(Roumeau et al., 2015). These pollution sources undoubtedly have a negative impact on the marshland's biological equilibrium. With the presence of contaminants, rainwater that the marsh could previously contain and offer drinking water quality is no longer viable.
Figure 4 Pallaikarnai Marshland's catchment area has been shrinking in recent years as depected
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Source: (Bhrigu Kalia, Graduate, 2019)
Dr. Jayshree Vencatesan, Managing Trustee of local NGO CareEarth Trust, who has been involved in the conservation of the Pallaikaranai Marshland for over two decades, suggested that the government's involvement and attempts to conserve the marshland have been minimal in an interview on the 10th of October 2019. For a long time, the Pallaikaranai Marshland was officially classed as "wasteland" to make it easier to legally deposit waste and raw sewage input. The government's goal was to 'generate' land in order to allow for unrestricted property development in the region. As an example, in recent decades, TNHB has established 'Eri Schemes,' which are housing colonies constructed on lakebeds and supported by the World Bank, for middle- and high-income groups (MIG and HIG). TNHB colonies were among the worst-affected housing projects during the rains, as one might expect.
Along with the housing developments, government institutes are continuing to expand and construct on the wetlands. Within the old marshland boundaries are the National Institute of
Wind Energy and the National Institute of Ocean Technology. In addition to the severe environmental consequences, the government's policies and initiatives have exacerbated previously existing socioeconomic and geographical disparities. Another example is the state government's decision to make the development of water supply and sewerage facilities for the IT Corridor a top priority. The IT Corridor's choice to adjust the speed of urban development is inextricably related to the area's economic activity. The state government implemented the programme to provide the southern Chennai area particular treatment in order to boost economic growth. The incentives are geared on giving a guarantee or at the very least comforting potential investors with the required infrastructure (Roumeau et al., 2015).
The water body that Sidco Nagar and other development projects drank up spanned 250 acres, according to a social audit evaluation given in early August 2016 (Salai, 2016)by Arappor Iyakkam, a Chennai-based NGO.
This is confirmed by a brief look at the 1972 Survey of India map. The lake is now only 20 acres in size. However, under its master plan for the city's growth, Chennai's urban planning body does not even acknowledge that - instead, it has designated the entire region as an institutional plot, clearing the path for additional building on whatever remains of the lake. In 2013, for example, a metro project was proposed.
