The network includes eight main herringbone canals, eight feeder canals and 186 distribution canals that allow saltwater to circulate through the plantation area. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has planted 20,000 mangrove saplings in 20 hectares along the Buckingham Canal in 2025-26 as part of efforts to strengthen Chennai’s coastal ecosystem and improve climate resilience.
Additional Principal Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forests Supriya Sahu, who shared the details in a post on social media platform X, said that to ensure proper tidal flow necessary for mangrove growth, officials have created a “fishbone” canal system at the site.
The network includes eight main herringbone canals, eight feeder canals and 186 distribution canals that allow saltwater to circulate through the plantation area.
According to Ms. Sahu, the plantation was carried out by the Chennai Forest Division and supported by ICICI Bank as part of its corporate social responsibility programme.
Mangrove restoration is part of a phased program to create a green belt of mangrove species in the district. In the first phase, the forest department identified the island behind Hiranandani flats along Old Mahabalipuram Road in Kazhipattur village for plantation along the Buckingham Canal after obtaining permission from the water resources department.
About 12,500 mangrove seedlings belonging to six species — Rhizophora mucronata, Bruguiera cylindrica, Avicennia marina, Aegiceras corniculatum, Excoecaria agallocha and Acanthus ilicifolius — were planted in 20 hectares during 2024-25. In addition, about 2,500 associated littoral species have been planted along the banks of the canal.
In the second phase, about 5,000 mangrove seedlings of species including Rhizophora mucronata, Rhizophora apiculata, Avicennia marina and Excoecaria agallocha were planted at the Battle of Adyar Island in the Adyar Estuary.
The final phase involves the planting of 20,000 mangrove seedlings of five species, including Avicennia marina, Avicennia officinalis, Rhizophora mucronata, Rhizophora apiculata and Excoecaria agallocha.
Chennai DFO VA Saravanan said the phased restoration is aimed at rebuilding Chennai’s mangroves and creating a living coastal bio-shield that protects the coastline, nurtures biodiversity and strengthens the city’s resilience to cyclones and sea-level rise.
Published – 10 March 2026 05:30 IST
