Anyone in Chennai who wants to help look after a lake, marsh or creek can sign up as a Wetland Mitra, a “friend of wetlands”. It is a volunteer scheme envisaged by the Union environment ministry and run in this state by the Tamil Nadu State Wetlands Authority. Its dashboard shows 9,522 Wetland Mitras registered across Tamil Nadu, working with 53 NGOs and institutions.
The monsoon is a good time to start. The northeast monsoon set in on 15 October 2026, and Chennai’s eris and marshes are filling. Winter bird counts follow from December. Here is how the scheme works, who runs wetland protection in the district, and what volunteers actually do.
What a Wetland Mitra does
The authority lists the role in broad terms. Volunteers are expected to:
- spot threats to a wetland, such as dumping, sewage outfalls or encroachment, and report them;
- support efforts to clear encroachments on wetland land;
- explain to neighbours why wetlands matter, especially for flood control and groundwater;
- help restore degraded wetlands through clean-ups and planting;
- join conservation projects and simple research such as surveys and monitoring.
When you register, you choose your interests from wetland assessment and surveys, monitoring, awareness work, bird surveys, clean-up drives and restoration. The form also asks for your occupation, with options from school student to farmer, plus your taluk and gender. There is no stated age or qualification requirement.
How to sign up
- Go to the Wetland Mitra page on the state wetlands authority site.
- Follow its link to the national Wetlands India portal’s citizen registration, or fill in the state form hosted on the same page.
- Choose your taluk carefully. In Chennai, that decides which local wetlands and which district committee you will be linked to.
- Pick the activities you are interested in, then keep an eye out for drives in your area. The authority has run registration camps at colleges, including one at SRM Ramapuram in 2024.
Who protects wetlands in Chennai district
Each district has a District Wetland Management Committee chaired by the Collector. It reports to the state authority, keeps the district’s wetland database, maps each wetland’s zone of influence, and enforces the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017. The district forest officer or wildlife warden acts as member secretary.
Chennai’s committee has a different line-up from the rest of the state, because the city’s water bodies are split between several agencies. According to the authority’s committee page, it includes:
- the Superintending Engineer (Storm Water Drain) of the Greater Chennai Corporation;
- engineers from Chennai Metro Water, including the sewage treatment wing;
- the Executive Engineer of the Water Resources Department;
- the TNPCB district environmental engineer;
- the Chief Planner (Master Plan) of the CMDA;
- a wetland expert nominated by the Collector.
Knowing this helps when you report a problem. Sewage entering a lake is usually a Metro Water or corporation issue. A breached bund or encroachment on a WRD tank goes to the Water Resources Department. Dumping inside a reserve forest such as Pallikaranai is for the Forest Department.
Reporting a problem well
Complaints about wetlands are far more likely to be acted on when they are specific. Before you write in, note the name of the lake or marsh and the nearest street or landmark. Take dated photos of the outfall, dumping or construction, and if you can, record where it is on a map app. Say how long it has been going on. Send it to the agency that controls the spot, and copy the District Collector’s office, because the Collector chairs the committee that brings those agencies together. Keep the acknowledgement. Wetland Mitras who log problems this way build a record that helps when the same issue comes back after every monsoon.
The mission behind it, and its deadline
The Tamil Nadu Wetlands Mission was announced in the 2021-22 state budget as a five-year programme running to 2026-27, which means it reaches the end of its planned period in March 2027. Its nine goals include mapping every wetland in the state, preparing management plans, notifying wetlands under the Environment (Protection) Act, scientific restoration and community participation.
The authority’s list of 100 wetlands picked for notification is the practical starting point. Around Chennai it includes Pallikaranai Marsh, Pulicat, Ennore Creek, Vedanthangal and Karikili, plus 25 village ponds and tanks in Tiruvallur district.
What has been done so far
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Wetland Mitras registered, Tamil Nadu | 9,522 |
| NGOs and institutions involved | 53 |
| Wetland health cards prepared | 1,302 |
| Restoration and awareness activities, statewide | 258 |
| Restoration activities, Chennai district | 20 |
| Restoration activities, Chengalpattu | 29 |
| Restoration activities, Kancheepuram | 33 |
| Restoration activities, Tiruvallur | 12 |
Figures are from the authority’s dashboard and its activities page as viewed on 18 October 2026. The activities page does not say which years they cover. Across all districts it records 43,464 participants, 4,36,841 trees planted and 1,23,793 kg of waste removed.
Quick answers
Who can become a Wetland Mitra?
Anyone. The registration form covers students, employees, homemakers, farmers and others, and lists no formal eligibility rules.
Is it paid?
No. It is a volunteer role.
Who heads wetland protection in Chennai district?
The District Collector chairs the District Wetland Management Committee. Corporation, Metro Water, WRD, TNPCB and CMDA officials sit on it.
How many Wetland Mitras are there in Tamil Nadu?
The state authority’s dashboard showed 9,522 on 18 October 2026.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- Wetland Mitra (Tamil Nadu State Wetlands Authority)
- Tamil Nadu State Wetlands Authority home page and dashboard
- Tamil Nadu Wetlands Mission (Tamil Nadu State Wetlands Authority)
- District Level Wetland Management Committee (Tamil Nadu State Wetlands Authority)
- Wetland Mitras: restoration and awareness activities (Tamil Nadu State Wetlands Authority)
- List of 100 wetlands for notification (Tamil Nadu State Wetlands Authority)
