A patch and its people

The wellness of a water is straight proportional to the acts of affirmative reciprocation it receives from the radical it serves. Its wellness is besides predicated connected the pridefulness it instils successful those people. The Nanmangalam water is presented with a mixed bag. It is subjected to maltreatment by those successful a presumption of stewardship towards it, but it besides has 2 groups of radical that marque definite it stays successful the news, its charms being extolled and its blights highlighted. And these groups alteration successful their composition, but person recovered a constituent of intersection wherever goals unite into thing composite: preserving and cherishing the Nanmangalam lake. 

Kumaresan Chandrabose is portion of the section residents group, mostly drawn from Sembakkam, Nanmangalam and Hastinapuram that has been documenting the biodiversity of the water arsenic good arsenic the Nanmangalam Reserve wood that overlooks it, really the rim of the forest. Through photography and videography, helium has documented a wide scope of nonmigratory and migratory taxon astir the lake, arsenic person astir different members of this hyperlocal naturalist group. People extracurricular this radical besides articulation quality walks. 

According to Kumaresan, birdwatching has changed the mode radical presumption the lake.

The database of birds recorded astatine Nanmangalam is extensive. Among them are the Chestnut-winged Cuckoo, Asian Paradis eFlycatcher, Yellow Bittern, Painted Snipe, Black Bittern, Watercock, Long-toed Stint and and Oriental Magpie Robin. Darters are besides regularly spotted crossed the lake.

One taxon that peculiarly stands retired is the Chestnut-winged Cuckoo, a migratory vertebrate that that has inked successful Nanmangalam arsenic its wintertime destination. 

Kumaresan besides described the Watercock arsenic 1 of the much antithetic birds recovered wrong Chennai Metropolitan area. Yellow Bittern nesting sites and Darter breeding enactment person besides been observed astir the wetland. Interestingly, immoderate migratory birds determination into adjacent residential areas arsenic well. The Blue-throated Blue Flycatcher, for instance, has been repeatedly spotted adjacent a temple wrong a adjacent flat complex.

Beyond birds, helium tracks butterflies and odonates astir the lake, respective of which person go harder to find.

A butterfly called the Joker, which depends connected a autochthonal big works called Tragia, locally known arsenic Sendatti, is becoming scarce astir the lake. Though the works is often removed due to the fact that it causes tegument irritation, Kumaresan says it plays an important ecological role.

“In the sanction of beautification, galore of these autochthonal bushes are being removed,” helium says.

Waste dumping is different antagonistic factor. 

No clip to ‘waste’

Over time, worsening biology harm pushed a radical of residents and volunteers to travel unneurotic nether the “Saving Nanmangalam Lake” initiative, a citizen-led question launched successful June 2024 to support the water and make consciousness astir its ecological importance.

Among those starring these efforts are Jayapriya Ramanathan and R. Sathya, some residents of Sembakkam who person been actively progressive successful cleanup drives and consciousness campaigns astir the lake. According to organisers, untreated sewage inflow, encroachments, garbage dumping, and mediocre discarded absorption stay immoderate of the biggest threats facing the ecosystem today.

Another challenge, according to the organisers, is the lake’s fragmented administration. Portions of the water autumn wrong the limits of antithetic section civic bodies (including the Tambaram Corporation), making coordinated restoration efforts challenging. “All the departments request to enactment unneurotic collectively,” says Jayapriya, stressing that some the water and adjoining reserve wood necessitate integrated extortion measures.

A large interest is the garbage transit constituent established betwixt the reserve wood and the water by a panchayat. The tract functions arsenic a dumping and proscription country for municipal waste. 

“We person seen cattle consuming integrative waste,” says Sathya, adding that birds and different animals are besides apt being affected by the pollution. This script makes biomagnification real.

Sathya besides points retired untreated sewage continues entering the waterbody. 

In response, the inaugural has focused heavy connected assemblage participation. Volunteers organise cleanup drives, consciousness campaigns, walkathons, meetings with officials, and discarded segregation programmes. Residents are encouraged to trim integrative usage, segregate discarded decently and power to cloth oregon jute bags.

A ample consciousness walkathon conducted earlier this twelvemonth reportedly saw information from astir 600 volunteers.

Organisers accidental these efforts person started making a disposable difference. In immoderate stretches, garbage dumping has reduced, informing boards person been installed, and partial fencing enactment has been completed on the South Bund Road.

“Initially, galore radical believed thing would change,” Jayapriya says. “Gradually, nationalist information and consciousness began to increase.”

Though residents joined the inaugural astatine antithetic stages, the halfway unpaid radical present consists of astir 15 progressive members moving consistently connected the ground. Elderly residents who are incapable to enactment physically lend done paperwork and coordination with authorities departments.

The question has besides expanded beyond the lake. Organisers precocious formed the Vanam and Neer Foundation to enactment conservation efforts involving some the wetland and the Nanmangalam Reserve Forest.

Still, challenges remain. Waste often reappears aft cleanup drives, and municipality unit astir the water continues to intensify. Conservation efforts, they say, cannot beryllium connected volunteers alone.