Chennai youth march against Mamallan Reservoir project

On July 25, 2026, about 30 youth organisations across Chennai staged a "March for Marshlands" to demand protection of the city’s wetlands and to press the Tamil Nadu government to reconsider the proposed Mamallan Reservoir. Protesters said the site earmarked for the reservoir is a vital tidal marsh that supports fishing communities, Irulars, Dalits and other marginalised groups, and warned that converting it into a freshwater reservoir and blocking the Buckingham Canal would irreversibly damage the ecosystem.

Organisers, including art activist Benisha B M, described the project as a test of the ruling TVK government’s commitment to change, stating: "The Mamallan Reservoir will tell us whether TVK truly stands for change or whether change was only an election slogan." Wetland researcher Prashanth J echoed the concerns, linking the Mamallan plan to a broader pattern of environmental injustice in Chennai’s Ennore‑Pulicat, Pallikaranai, and other wetlands. The demonstrators called for an independent scientific review and a halt to the project until their concerns are addressed.