CHENNAI: What today is an eyesore and a health hazard can turn into spot of immense public attraction, if a proposal submitted to the government attains fruition. Long-time campaigners for the restoration of the Pallikaranai marshland recently offered a roadmap to reclaim and beautify the dumping zone.According to the proposal, the dump yard can be converted to a beautiful public space replete with green tracts. The Pallikaranai Redesign Plan as it is called, has been drawn up by Mahesh Radhakrishnan, an architect, and Dr Jayashree Vencatesan, managing trustee of Care Earth, an organisation working on biodiversity conservation. Chennai City Connect, an initiative to bring various urban stakeholders together, provided the platform for the resource persons to draw up the plan and submit it to the government.The Forest Department has already proposed to establish a Conservation Authority of Pallikaranai Marshlands, which too is under active consideration by the government.While it is a step forward in conserving the marshland, Dr Jayashree warns that comprehensive study on the nature of the garbage dumped in the landfill should precede any further work. “We do not know what kind of garbage has been dumped there. It could be toxic. So, before anything is done, we need to know the composition of the waste,” she said.In addition, the restoration drive should hinge on breaking the integrity of the dump yard that has literally choked the marshland, Dr Jayashree says. “Dredging channels at various places after a thorough study should be created so that the hydrology of the marsh is recovered.” As for the greening proposal, Dr Jayashree cautioned that it should be strongly guided by science, using the principles of restoration ecology, rather than planting saplings indiscriminately.For recovery and reclamation of the dump yard, the proposal has gleaned from the example of the Fresh Kills Park Project in Staten Island in the USA This was New York City’s principal landfill, and was once the largest landfill in the world. In October 2009, reclamation of the site began for reuse as Freshkills Park. The space, which was 15 times larger than the Pallikaranai marsh area, earned $1 million for the US government from the gas generated from the dump.The sole aim, as the project proposal states, is to transform the unsightly, stinking dump yard into a beautiful and natural destination that would offer recreational avenues for city folk. An Interpretation Centre, an amphitheatre, and nature trails for visitors are also proposed in the plan. The rest of the area would have tree and shrub cover interspersed with public spaces.Besides the dumping ground that is spread over 72 hectares, the project has identified two other critical areas that required intervention: the Perungudi–Pallavaram Link Road and the wetland south of the Link Road.
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