The Adyar river forms a tidal creek just before it enters the Bay of Bengal. The creek and the estuary formed a great ecosystem for flora and fauna to flourish – until the city’s sewage and industrial effluence heavily contaminated it. Initiated by CAG and ordered by the High court, Ecological restoration projects undertaken by the Tamilnadu government about a decade ago led to the creation of the 58 acre Adyar Eco Park and the 300 acre Adyar estuary.
The park management currently only allow guided tours and we got around visiting the park today. For a ridiculously low entry ticket – 20 INR, you get to be amidst dense greenery. The tour is a guide-led walk around the man-made rainwater lake bordered by dense foliage and interspersed with rock art-work of insects, birds and reptiles
A really old Amman temple is left untouched. Fishermen and folks from the adjacent dwellings apparently visit it every Friday.
A narrow walkway segments the rain-water section of the park from the salt-water estuary. Mangroves lined along the creek and on the mini-islands provide just the right ecosystem and protection for the fishes, birds, turtles and reptiles.
A fabulous get-away right in the city and I really wish they allowed us to explore it by ourselves! Would make for a terrific run in the woods – Something so hard to find in Chennai.
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