Posted on October 28, 2024
In Chennai, rapid urban expansion has resulted in an 85% decline in the area of wetlands affecting water retention and flood regulation, says World Wildlife Fund report
When it comes to climate vulnerability, the focus can no longer be limited to the melting Arctic or the degradation of the Amazon rainforests. The warning is now at our doorstep.
The Living Planet Report 2024, recently released by the World Wildlife Fund, a global conservation organisation, emphasises critical tipping points — the mass die-off of coral reefs, which jeopardises fisheries and coastal protection; the decline of the Amazon, which could release large amounts of carbon and disrupt global weather; collapsing ocean currents that may alter weather patterns in Europe and North America; and melting ice sheets that threaten significant sea level rise and greenhouse gas emissions.
Amid these, the WWF highlights Chennai’s shrinking wetlands as an “early warning signal” for flooding and drought. “In Chennai on the Bay of Bengal in eastern India, rapid urban expansion resulted in an 85% decline in the area of wetlands. As a result, vital services that these ecosystems provide – including retaining water, recharging groundwater and flood regulation – were radically diminished, leaving the people of Chennai vulnerable to both droughts and flooding made worse by climate change,” the report says.
In 2019, severe drought caused major reservoirs to dry up and groundwater levels to drop in the city of 11.2 million. Without wetlands to retain and recharge water supplies, residents were forced to rely on trucked water for essential needs. Ironically, the loss of these ecosystems also increased vulnerability to flooding from extreme rainfall in 2015 and 2023, the report notes.
G. Sundarrajan of ‘Poovulagin Nanbargal’ says, “For Chennai to survive in the 22nd century as a city, forget a megacity or megapolis, it should prioritise becoming climate resilient. A solution to flooding, drought, and sea-level rise is waterbody conservation.”
According to Mr. Sundarrajan, areas like Ambattur, Korattur, and Anna Nagar remain less affected than Velachery during floods because the western part of the city still has some waterbodies left. “But this is where the government wants to build the Parandur airport. Airport-led development will destroy not just 13 waterbodies falling directly in the proposed area, but many others between Parandur and the city. This will make Chennai more prone to flood and drought,” says Mr. Sundarrajan.
Kurian Joseph, Director of the Center for Climate Change and Disaster Management at Anna University, suggests that WWF’s reference may be primarily linked to the significant loss of the Pallikaranai wetland over the past few decades.
“It was once approximately 6,000 hectares. Only about 10% of it remains today. However, there are ongoing efforts to restore various wetlands across the State. The Tamil Nadu Wetlands Mission has identified 100 wetlands for restoration, which is a positive step. Additionally, blue-green infrastructure is being integrated into the Third Master Plan,” he explains.
