Waste-to-energy plant could affect 50 bird species, says Palluyir Trust
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Chennai: The
Palluyir Trust
, a Chennai-based environmental organization, has urged
Greater Chennai Corporation
to drop its plan to set up a
waste-to-energy plant
at Sathangadu, warning that the site lies within ecologically sensitive wetlands behind the Kodungaiyur dumpyard.
During a survey on March 28, naturalists from the trust identified 50
bird species
within just three hours at the proposed project site. Among those recorded were threatened birds such as grey pelicans and painted storks, along with migratory species such as wood sandpipers, whiskered terns, grey-headed lapwings, and brown-headed gulls, which travel from Central Asia and Russia.
Naturalists noted bird movement between the site and Pulicat Bird Sanctuary, suggesting that Sathangadu functions as a feeding or resting corridor in the broader migratory route.
The wetland, in addition to being a wildlife habitat, also acts as a crucial floodplain for neighbourhoods prone to waterlogging during the monsoon. Environmentalists warn that building a thermal incinerator here could increase urban flood vulnerability by choking a natural drainage buffer.
Residents of Kodungaiyur warned the plant would intensify flooding during monsoons, as the neighbourhood already suffers from poor drainage and inadequate flood mitigation. "The area floods every year because nearby waterbodies are not maintained. Putting a large incinerator project here will block natural runoff and make it worse," said a resident, V Ganesh. They urged authorities to consider alternate locations such as the existing landfill, which is already degraded and would spare the wetland from further ecological damage.
When contacted, a senior official from GCC said they would review the study and respond accordingly.
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The Hindu
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