D. Venkatesh, Chief Conservator of Forests and Field Director of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, being briefed about the plan for restoration of Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary in Tiruppur by Natraj Muthusamy, Chief Executive Officer of VETRY NGO.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
:An initiative to rid the Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary, a lake on a 400-acre spread, of hyacinth has been launched by the Forest Department, with funding from an environmental organisation.Noticing the decline in fish population that impacts the bird count as well due to the decline in dissolved oxygen levels in the water caused by the weed carpet, VETRY, a non-governmental organisation working for environmental restoration, has provided ₹ 10 lakh in the first phase to clear water hyacinth that has rapidly spread on approximately 100 acres.D. Venkatesh, Chief Conservator of Forests and Field Director of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, initiated the project in the presence of Rajesh, Deputy Director of Anamalai Tiger Reserve and District Forest Officer (DFO), Nithya, Tiruppur Range Forest Officer (RFO), and functionaries of VETRY and VERGAL environmental organisations, and the Tiruppur Nature Society.“Infestation of water hyacinth if left unchecked would trigger an ecological imbalance, wiping out food source for the bird population, and block vital landing and foraging spaces on the water surface. Further, excessive evapotranspiration brings down the lake’s water levels rapidly. The dense, stagnant weed mats also choke the lake’s natural water flow and create ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes, posing a health risk to surrounding areas. Over time, decaying organic matter settles at the bottom, accelerating siltation and permanently reducing the reservoir’s water-holding capacity,” Natraj Muthusamy, Chief Executive Officer of VETRY NGO, said,Operating under the expert guidance of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, the NGO would evaluate the final project cost after an assessment of the root growth of the weed. The restoration of the lake would be carried out in entirety, Mr. Natraj said.The organisation has mobilised a Specialized Aquatic Vehicle from Exnora Chennai, engineered specifically to harvest dense aquatic weeds; and has retrofitted its excavator with a customised sieve-bucket designed to scoop the heavy weed material while filtering out water. A tractor equipped with a heavy-duty trailer will continuously haul the cleared vegetation away from the site, he added. Published - July 31, 2026 09:17 pm IST
