The recent fire at the Perumbakkam wetland caught many eyeballs, underlining its vulnerability. But there is an insidious danger that does not easily show up on the radar. It takes some effort to identify this danger, and even more to address it. For years, debris from infrastructure work on Perumbakkam Main Road has slipped into the wetland. Accumulation of concrete debris in the wetland detracts from its essential character.
Besides, due to infrastructural work including road-relaying, the restraining wall of the wetland has sunk, making it easy for concrete debris dumped along the wall to tip over and fall into the wetland. Metro rail construction is in full swing on the road, and concrete debris is generated regularly. And one finds mounds of concrete debris near the wall, causing concern. Similarly, the wall on the opposite side of the wetland, along Classic Farms Main Road has also sunk, and there is the risk of debris from residential construction work on this section ending up in the wetland.
