Residents Protest Land Reclamation in Kallukuttai Lake, Part of Pallikaranai Ramsar Site, Over Flood Fears
मुख्य बातें
- •The Public Works Department (PWD) is filling over 25 acres of the Kallukuttai lake in Pallikaranai marshland—a Ramsar site—with soil, raising flood risk in Velachery.
- •Residents and environmental groups have protested the reclamation, warning that it violates ecological protections and increases urban flooding threats.
- •The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has agreed to restore the lake if permitted by the Directorate of Technical Education, which owns the land.
- •Disaster management experts and local welfare associations demand an immediate halt to the work to prevent flooding in Velachery wards 177 and 178.
Residents of Velachery in southern Chennai have raised alarms over the ongoing land reclamation work in the Kallukuttai lake, a critical waterbody within the Pallikaranai marshland—a Ramsar site of international ecological significance. The Public Works Department (PWD) has been filling the lake with soil across more than 25 acres, raising concerns about increased flood risk in surrounding areas, particularly in wards 177 and 178. The issue was highlighted by residents on social media on Sunday, who accused government departments, including the PWD and the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), of delaying action despite repeated complaints.
