Kazhuveli wetland

Kazhuveli lake, the second largest brackish water wetland in Tamil Nadu, is under threat.

Kazhuveli Wetland:

Location: Villupuram District

Kazhuveli, or Kaliveli, meaning ‘Passage to Backwaters’, is a brackish water wetland

Uppukalli creek and the Yedayanthittu estuary connects it with Bay of Bengal

one of Tamil Nadu’s 141 prioritised wetlands

A wetland of international significance and a potential Ramsar site

Breeding ground for migratory birds.

Migratory birds in the Central Asian Flyway use it as a wintering ground.

Birds found in the Kazhuveli bird sanctuary

spot-billed pelicans, darters, cormorants, herons, egrets, storks, black ibis, spoonbill, flamingo, spot-billed duck, garganey, common pochard, sandpiper, coots, shanks, and terns

Coastal wetlands are unique ecosystems that form a transitional zone between the ocean and terrestrial ecosystems.

Influence of Tides on coastal wetlands:

fluctuations in water levels

Changes in chemical and physical properties on a daily basis

Creation varied habitats such as

tidal marshes and estuaries, mangroves, seagrass meadows, inter-tidal flats, tidal salt marshes and tidal freshwater

Benefits of Coastal wetlands:

coastal wetlands support

freshwater, brackish water and salt water fishes

Nutrient-rich sediment deposit brought by rivers help sustain mangroves and seagrass beds

These form a nursery for marine fish and shrimps.

Threats faced by Kazhuveli Wetland.

Illegal shrimp farming industry

Converting the brackish water lake into freshwater lake

In 2021, the Public Works Department (PWD) built a check dam on the Kazhuveli wetland, located in Vanur and Marakkanam taluks of Villupuram district, hoping to convert it into a freshwater lake.

Construction of Checkdams

Blocking seawater inlet into Kazhuveli will affect the bio-stability of the area

Dams are slowly being dismantled in Europe and North America because of the damage they do to biodiversity