Key Facts about Pallikaranai Marshland

About Pallikaranai Marshland:

• It is a freshwater marsh and partly saline wetland situated about 20 kilometres south of the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• It is one of the last remaining natural wetlands in Chennai city.
• It serves as an aquatic buffer of the flood-prone Chennai and Chengalpattu districts.
• It 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.
• On 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. 
• It is one of the Ramsar sites in India.
• The 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.
  • These include notable species such as Russell’s viper(Daboia siamensis) and birds such as the glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), grey-headed lapwings (Vanellus cinereus), and Pheasant-tailed jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus).
• Although tropical in bio-climate, the influence of the Bay of Bengal has been significant on the Marsh.
  • Dramatic changes in its hydrology and biodiversity witnessed annually may be attributed to the maritime influence and the vagaries of the North East Monsoon.