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.
