The destruction caused by the floods last year was largely attributed to the ravaging of wetlands in the past. Often located close to cities, wetlands have been the target of developers and realtors. The marshes that earlier acted as reservoirs for run-off failed to protect Chennai during the deluge because of this. At that time, the lack of a wetland authority to regulate development on wetlands in Tamil Nadu was deeply felt. After passing the enabling legislation in November 2010, the Centre had set a deadline of six months for forming state wetland authorities in November 2010. In May this year, the state finally formed a wetland authority. But the body exists largely on paper. There is no clearly laid out strategy or plan. The body hasn’t met since its formation and key officials have not been appointed yet. Wetlands are home to diverse ecosystems and are classified into marine (coastal), estuarine (including deltas, tidal marshes, and mangrove swamps), lacustarine (lakes), riverine (along rivers and streams), and palustarine (marshes, swamps and bogs) based on their hydrological, ecological and geological characteristics. And the wetland authority has the responsibility of guiding and monitoring the formation and functioning of wetland management committees in each district, says the relevant government order. “These water bodies are not just a source of water for irrigation, they also act as groundwater recharging units and are habitats for life forms such as fish and migratory birds,” said former principal chief conservator of forests (research and education) S Balaji.
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