Four Chennai lakes will soon be notified as wetlands to help conserve them

This will help with conservation of the water bodies for groundwater recharge and development of bio-diversity, and will also help prevent encroachments and sewage discharge

Four water bodies in Chennai will soon be notified as wetlands under the Wetland Conservation and Management Rules, 2017. This will enable conservation, as well as sustainable use of the water bodies and prevent further degradation.

Lakes in Velachery, Madipakkam, Ambattur and Korattur have been prioritised in the first phase to be identified as wetlands and for conservation efforts, apart from Pallikaranai marshland. The district-level wetland management committee, which was set up by the Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority, has initiated the process of notifying the identified water bodies as wetlands.

All natural water bodies qualify to be identified as wetlands under the Wetland Rules, except for rivers and river channels. Those water bodies created for purposes such as salt production, drinking water and aquaculture also cannot be included.