Avian visitors return to creek a decade after restoration

Some of the birds that have arrived this year include Indian Pitta, Orange-Headed Thrush and Brown Thrasher. Officials said that the increase in bird population this year indicates that the restoration of the wetland was successful and fruitful.

“Solid waste accumulated in 2,79,597 cubic metre was excavated and removed from the creek area, which resulted in a substantial increase in the water spread area from 5 per cent to 59 per cent. All sewage outlets into the creek have been arrested completely and it has improved the surface and groundwater quality in the creek and surrounding areas,” said a senior official of CRRT.

A total of 1,43,818 saplings from 173 species of tropical evergreen coastal species, including mangroves and its associated plants, were planted there to restore the wetland ecosystem.

“The major reason to restore the creek is it has the unique characteristics of estuarine ecosystem. As it is in the transition zone between freshwater and seawater, the estuary is highly influenced, both by tides and freshwater from the Adyar river,” said the official.

“In the creek, sewage and pollutants that are usually flushed out during the monsoon settle on the substrata and cannot be efectively flushed out to the sea due to the periodic formation of sand bars at its mouth. Add to that the environmental pollution and the Adyar creek became a dumping ground for the city,” he added.