Chennai: Concrete debris in museum threatens bats, trees

CHENNAI: The much needed restoration has begun at the Government Museum at

Egmore

, but indiscriminate

dumping

of construction debris at the rear and the constant movement of earthmovers is threatening the survival of

old trees

and the habitat of fruit-eating bats. It has also affected residents of surrounding areas.


Sudhin Prabhakar, one of the several residents along Manohar Avenue, which adjoin Pantheon Road on which the museum is located, said dust from the construction debris was a major threat. “My wife is an asthmatic and has dust allergy. Dumping construction debris at the rear of the museum complex will lead to severe health problems for her,” he said.

Residents are also concerned about the fruit-eating bats that have been living in the trees in the complex. “Dumping activities continue from morning till midnight. The museum complex is an important habitat for the

fruit

bats, which are nocturnal mammals,” one resident said.

A survey on the campus by the World Wide Fund for Nature – India for 12 years from 2000 showed that mango and tamarind trees in the complex are home to about 6,000 fruit bats. Naturalists say the almost constant movement of earthmovers, even late at night, would surely affect the normal life of the bats.

Sudhin Prabhakar said the huge concrete structures indiscriminately dumped in the rear portion of the campus were destroying small plants, herbs and shrubs, while the movement of earth movers’ arms in different directions had damaged many branches of old trees.

When contacted,

M S Shanmugam

, commissioner of museums, said only the rear part of the vast campus had some open space that could accommodate the concrete debris before it was permanently moved out. Officials had already received complaints about dust getting settled in the nearby flat complex and that it was decided to install a dust filter screen would be provided as cover.

As far as the bats are concerned there is no disturbance to the trees which they had colonized, he said, adding that the Asian Development Bank, which is funding the ongoing civil work, had fixed the first week of next month as the deadline for completing it. “This is why we are undertaking the work even late at night,” he said.

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