Green plans need blue water to flow

CHENNAI: The birdlife that Pallikaranai Marsh supports is its greatest asset. A proposal submitted on behalf of City Connect to the state government, has proposed three bird viewing points on elevated wooden walkways that extend into the marsh, situated south of the Perungudi–Pallavaram Link Road. The proposal lays focus on raising the Link Road to an elevated pathway, so as to retore the flow of water across the newly constructed road drawing from the Tamiami trial project in Florida, where an eight kilometre stretch was replaced by a bridge that restored the old marsh by allowing flow of water under it.The Road, deemed an engineering disaster as it completely cut off the flow of water, runs through the marsh up to a distance of 2.2 kilometres. Similarly, the traditional channel in Okkiyam Madagu, where the marsh emptied excess water into the sea, must also be restored, the proposal suggests.