Day-long Eco Fest 2020 talks to children about restoring waterbodies in the city

Small ecological models of 16 lakes in the city were created as exhibits for the school children to explore. Environment educators from the Chennai team of PFA explained the water catchment area for each lake, the endemic organisms that live in it, solid waste management issues, and the biotic pressure that the waterbodies face.

“We have been working with the children for the past two years, focusing on the different aspects of urban ecology and the problems pertaining to it, in the context of Chennai,” said Jayasudha Arunachalam, programme manager, PFA.

“It’s a fun event for the school kids and a learner’s manual for participants focussed on ecology. More such events that create awareness on the Chennai’s ecology should be organised,” said taxonomist and professor in plant biology, D Narasimhan. At a time when the climate change impact is visible, there is a need for more compassion towards the trees, he said.

The concept of terrarium and basics of rainwater harvesting were a hit among the children, who asked several questions on the organisms that live in Chennai waterbodies, said budding ecologist Achsah Abraham. The students were also taught how to make their own microscope to explore life science.

A session on rainwater harvesting was also presented by Sekhar Raghavan of Rain Centre, Chennai, and a discussion on micro ecosystems was conducted by Cambrionics Life science, Chennai.