Residents seek steps to prepare the city for extreme weather events

Residents demand climate-resilient projects in Chennai to prepare for extreme weather events and rising sea levels.

After Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu announced in the Budget for 2025-26 that seven climate-resilient sponge parks would be set up across the Chennai Metropolitan Area at an estimated cost of ₹88 crore, residents have demanded initiatives to prepare the city for extreme weather events and rising sea levels.

Federation of the Varadharajapuram Residents’ Welfare Association president V. Rajasekaran says projects to prepare the city for extreme weather events should be planned in areas along the Outer Ring Road. “Our area has been affected by floods during the northeast monsoon. The flood level was more than six feet in many areas. Suitable parcels of government land should be identified for projects for improving climate resilience before the area is fully urbanised,” he says.

G.V. Nagavalli, councillor of ward 88 and district organiser of the DMK environment wing, says identification of large parcels of land for climate resilient projects in the Chennai Corporation remains a challenge. “Areas such as Padi are prone to flooding. We have started removing accumulated waste from the Mettukulam of which water has been polluted by waste and sewage. People have used the waterbody as a dump for many years. Some parts of the area have been converted into a slum board layout. During the northeast monsoon, the residents used to shift to alternative accommodation for 45 days owing to flooding. However, we may not ask the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) to develop a climate resilient sponge park in the area because we have to protect the livelihood of the residents,” she says.

After Chief Minister M.K. Stalin inaugurated the city’s first wetland sponge park in Porur on 16 acres of open space reservation, residents of several areas have started discussions on climate resilience projects and those to protect biodiversity. For instance, residents have pointed to the government’s efforts to clear the garbage from the Adyar Creek before the development of the Tholkappia Poonga on 358 acres. Following the eco-restoration, the faunal diversity in the area has increased from 33 in 2007 to 331 after 2017-2018. The number of insect species, including butterflies and dragonflies, has increased to more than 155 in the Creek.

A. Francis, president of the Federation of Thoraipakkam Residents’ Welfare Associations, says the announcement of sponge parks has left some residents worried about revival of a plan to create a park in the Perungudi dump. “We will continue to oppose any move to create a park in the dump. We want the area to be cleared of garbage and the marsh restored.”

“Residents have demanded the removal of encroachments on the Pallikaranai marsh. The authorities should comply with the National Green Tribunal’s order for removal of enroachments, including the Chennai Corporation’s dump, NIOT, information technology parks, and layouts. Over 38% of the marsh has been encroached upon. Once the encroachments are removed, the climate resilience of the city will improve,” he says.

Pointing to the opposition to the Corporation’s plan for a ₹185.42-crore eco-park on the 93 acres of reclaimed land at the Perungudi dump, residents say they are yet to receive replies to many of their questions under the Right to Information Act. After the Corporation Council adopted a resolution on November 29, 2024, to call back the proposal for the park, there has been no clarity in the Corporation’s response to the demand for clearance of more garbage to restore the marsh.