Chennai
Chennai is the capital city of Tamil Nadu. It is a major cultural, economic and educational centre. It is known as the "Detroit" of India for its automobile industry. Chennai is the only city in South Asia and India to figure in the "52 places to go around the world" by The New York Times. Leading tourism guide publisher Lonely Planet has named Chennai as one of the top ten cities in the world to visit in 2015.
Hill Ranges:
- St. Thomas Mount - It is a small hillock located in Chennai, near the neighbourhood of Guindy and very close to Chennai International Airport. From the 17th century, this part of Chennai was populated predominantly by Anglo-Indians.The neighbourhood is served by the St.Thomas mount railway station on the southern line of the Chennai Suburban Railway Network Integration of the Metro and MRTS with the suburban station in the neighbourhood, is expected to make the suburb the city's largest transit hub after Chennai Central.
- Tirusulam Hill -This is the tallest hill in the city, and it is special in spiritual things. There is Mosque in the top of the Mountain, and Right side of the hill Tamil Hindu God 'Murugan Temple' is there, and left side of the hill Church is there. The Hill is a shooting spot for Tamil Movies and Television dramas. Some of the movies that have been filmed here include Bhairavi, Oor Kaavalan and Indru Poi Naalai Vaa, Gentleman, Theeradha Vilayattu pillai etc. The central government has also set up a research centre on the hill.
- Pallavaram Hill - The Pallavaram hill is actually located in Tirusulam and it is quite close to tirusulam railway station (opposite to the airport). The hill served as stone quarry in the past but the quarrying works have been stopped since the airport was built. But the Hill is named after Pallavaram since Tirusulam was less known to people in those days. The Hill is mainly used as shooting spot for Tamil Movies and Television dramas. Some of the movies that have been filmed here include Bhairavi, Oor Kaavalan and Indru Poi Naalai Vaa, Gentleman, Theeradha Vilayattu pillai etc. The central government has also set up a research centre on the hill.
- Vandalur hill - Vandalur hill is part of Arignar Anna Zoological Park and public entry to the hill is restricted. The hilltop provides a beautiful view of Bay of Bengal. Tamil Nadu Forest department has a sapling center under the foothill of Vandalur hill.
Other Hills -
- Perumbakkam Chithalapakkam Hill
- Tambaram( Naduveerapattu) Hill
Lakes:
- Tirusulam Lakes - As Tirusulam has number of mountains, there are small lakes with large amount of water. Because of the presence of these lakes tirusulam census town has never experienced scarcity of water. Due to the presence of the lakes and mountains the living in here is very healthy and very natural.
- Pallavaram periya eri - Once a sprawling water body covering about 189 acres, has shrunk to a small patch on the lines of a pond on one side and a hillock of garbage on the other. The dumping of garbage from all the 42 wards of the Pallavaram Municipality for nearly a decade is the main reason for the shrinkage of the water body. Nearly 25 acres had been lost to encroachments alone. The construction of Pallavaram–Thoraipakkam Road, a project initiated to connect Chennai Airportand Rajiv Gandhi Salai, had split the lake into two halves. The portion of the lake on the southern side of the road has completely been covered by garbage. On the northern side of the road, the discharge of sewage from commercial establishments and homes and also effluents from some of the leather manufacturing units in Nagalakeni has affected the quality of the water.
- Velachery Lake - Velachery lake, is one of the lakes inside Chennai, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, with a good stock of water all through the year. Since Velachery is a low lying area, the monsoon rain water from the neighbouring areas are drained into this lake.
 |
| Chetpet Lake |
- Chetput Lake - It is a lake spread over 15 acres in Chetput, Chennai. It is located to the north of Chetput railway station. It is the only existing lake at the centre of the city. The lake belongs to the Department of Fisheries of the Tamil Nadu government.
 |
| Chembarambakkam Lake |
- Chembarambakkam lake - It is a lake located in the Kanchipuram district of Tamil Nadu, about 40 km from Chennai. It is one of the two rain-fed reservoirs from where water is drawn for supply to Chennai City, the other one being the Puzhal Lake. The Adyar River originates from this lake. A part of water supply of the metropolis of Chennai is drawn from this lake.
- Retteri lake - is a lake in the
 |
| Retteri Lake |
Kolathur area of Chennai. The lake is visible from the 100 ft road, Redhills road Junction which the junction also named Retteri Junction. Government is planned to construct a flyover at the junction.
- Korattur aeri, - It is a lake spread over 990 acres in Korattur, Chennai, India. It is located to the north of the Chennai—Arakkonam railway line. It is one of the largest lakes in the western part of the city.It is one of a chain of three water bodies, including the Ambattur aeri and the Madhavaram aeri, where surplus water from one is transported to another. The water from the lake had been supplied to Chennai residents for a brief period when there was a shortage in the late 1970s. However, over the years, the lake has been contaminated with sewage and industrial effluents from surrounding areas such as Pattaravakkam, Athipet and Ambattur.
.JPG) |
| Ambattur aeri |
- Ambattur aeri - It is a rain-fed reservoir which reaches top levels during the monsoon seasons. In November 2008, incessant monsoon rain filled the lake and encroachments on the north and south banks of the lake were demolished. It also caters to the drinking water needs of the Chennai city after Poondi andChembarambakkam Lake.
- Mangal aeri - or Mangal lake, is a rain-fed reservoir in the neighbourhood of Mugappair in Chennai.
- Manali aeri - It is a 150-acre lake in the Manali-Mathur-Madavaram area of Chennai. Due to indiscriminate dumping of garbage and sewage, the lake has shrunk to less than 100 acres.
Rivers:
- Cooum River - The Cooum River originates in a village of the same name in Tiruvallur district, about 70 km (43 mi) away from Chennai, although starting its main course at Sattarai village, around 65 km from Chennai. Close to Egmore, the river forks into two—the northern and the southern arms—both of which join again near the Napier bridge, thus forming an island, known as the Island Grounds. The river finally joins the Bay of Bengal south of the Fort St George, just below the Napier Bridge.It is the most polluted river of India which ends in the city of Chennai draining into the Bay of Bengal. Along with the Adyar River running parallel to the south, the river trifurcates the city and separates Northern Chennai from Central Chennai. Most of the waste from the city is drained into this river and the Cooum.
- Adyar River- originating near the Chembarambakkam Lake in Chengalpattu district, is one of the two rivers which winds through Chennai, and joins the Bay of Bengal at the Adyar Estuary. The 42.5 km-long river contributes to the estuarine ecosystem of Chennai. Despite the high pollution levels, boating and fishing take place in this river. The river collects surplus water from about 200 tanks and lakes, small streams and the rainwater drains in the city, with a combined catchment area of 331 sq miles.
- Kosasthalaiyar River - It is one of the three rivers that flow in the Chennai metropolitan area. The 136 km-long river originates near Kaveripakkam in Vellore District and drains into the Bay of Bengal The excess discharge in the river is controlled by the Tamarapakkam Anicut located across the river in the downstream of Poondi reservoir. Vallur Anicut is a small check dam constructed near Minjur across the river to control water levels and feed irrigation channels in the area. It flows to a distance of 16 km in the Chennai metropolitan area. Every year, whenever the floodgates of Poondi reservoir are opened, a considerable volume of water gets drained into the sea through the Kosasthalaiyar river near the Ennore creek.
Wetlands:
- Pallikaranai wetland - It is a freshwater swamp in the city of Chennai, India. It is situated adjacent to the Bay of Bengal, about 20 kilometres south of the city centre. Pallikaranai marshland is the only surviving wetland ecosystem of the city and is among the few and last remaining natural wetlands of South India. It is one of the 94 identified wetlands under National Wetland Conservation and Management Programme (NWCMP) operationalised by the Government of India in 1985–86 and one of the three in the state of Tamil Nadu, the other two being Point Calimere and Kazhuveli. It is also one of the prioritised wetlands of Tamil Nadu. The topography of the swamp is such that it always retains some storage, thus forming an aquatic ecosystem. A project on 'Inland Wetlands of India' commissioned by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India had prioritised Pallikaranai marsh as one of the most significant wetlands of the country. The marsh contains several rare or endangered and threatened species and acts as a forage and breeding ground for thousands of migratory birds from various places within and outside the country. The number of bird species sighted in the wetland is significantly higher than the number at Vedanthangal birds sanctuary.
- Buckingham Canal - It is a 421.55 kilometres long fresh water navigation canal, running parallel to the Coromandel Coast of South India from Kakinada in East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh to Villupuram District in Tamil Nadu. The canal connects most of the natural backwaters along the coast to the port of Chennai . It was constructed during the British Rule, and was an important waterway during the late nineteenth and the twentieth century.It was first known simply as the North River by the British and was believed to be partly responsible for reducing tsunami and cyclone damage to much of the Chennai-southern Andhra coastline
Birds:
nice to know about the presence of such birds
ReplyDelete