Stalin inaugurates city’s first wetland park

Chennai: Chief minister M K Stalin inaugurated the Dr M S Swaminathan Wetland Park, the city's first, a few days ago without much fanfare. While the park is now open to the public, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) is yet to finalise its maintenance plan and has prepared Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the same.

Developed by CMDA in collaboration with Sponge Collaborative, the park spans 16.63 acres of Open Space Reserve (OSR) land near Sri Ramachandra University, off Mount-Poonamallee High Road. It features a 600-metre boardwalk, a pollinator garden, a basketball court, seating areas, and landscaped channels leading to a six-acre lake, which was also revived as part of the project. The restoration focused on improving water retention, enhancing biodiversity, and creating sustainable urban green space.

"We identified that the site is a remnant of a wetland. The park incorporates a blue-green infrastructure that collects runoff through swales and undergoes a natural filtration process. The deepened waterbody improves its holding capacity and boosts groundwater recharge," said Niveda Ramesh, associate urban designer, Sponge Collaborative.

Designed as a community space for wellness and nature-based recreation, the park also serves as an urban resilience model. "It demonstrates nature-based solutions for improving water quality, managing runoff, and creating habitats for diverse species. It will also help raise awareness about wetland ecosystems," she added.

CMDA minister P K Sekarbabu said the park will help mitigate flooding by collecting and filtering 90% of surface runoff while replenishing groundwater. "As part of the North Chennai Development Plan, we are focusing on upgrading several parks and playgrounds," he said.

Residents have called for the govt to take over maintenance.

"The park is home to native species, and care should be taken to avoid introducing alien species for the sake of easier upkeep. CMDA should establish a structured SOP for maintenance, and resident welfare associations and social activists should be involved in monitoring," said T Seralathan, president of the Ramapuram Residential Welfare Associations Federation.

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