The Parandur airport, to be built as a second airport for Chennai, has come under the spotlight once more due to the recent floods in the city.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government is keen to implement the project, but it is being opposed by environmental activists and villagers, with one of the main reasons being that the airport would built over a large number of wetlands and waterways.

The importance of wetlands has become a major talking point because areas in south Chennai like Velachery, Perumbakkam and Sholinganallur were some of the worst affected areas.

These areas have encroachments on wetlands such as the Pallikaranai marsh. The encroachments are believed to have blocked the flow of storm water.

The airport will reportedly be built over 2,682.62 acres of wetlands.

Speaking to The Hindu, environmental activist G Sundarrajan of the NGO Poovulagin Nanbargal, said that the wetlands in the project area contribute to reducing the intensity of flooding in Chennai. Among the other concerns expressed by him are that the project could disrupt the Kamban canal, which connects over 80 waterbodies.

What is happening with regards to Parandur is a complete reversal of what happened a few years ago about the proposed eight-lane greenfield Salem-Chennai expressway.

The DMK, along with the very same environmental activists, had strongly opposed the project. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was in power in the state at the time.

They had stated that along with thousands of farmers losing their agricultural land, the expressway would pass through areas designated as reserve forests, thus adversely affecting wildlife. It was also stated that the two cities were already connected by highways and that there was no need for a new expressway.

The case went to the Supreme Court, which allowed the project but stated that the mutation entries should be reversed and land be put back in the name of the farmers. It said that a fresh process of land acquisition must be undertaken.

Things changed after the DMK came to power and the party is not objecting to the project now, leading to accusations that the party had protested against the project while in opposition, only for political reasons. The issue was made part of the party’s campaign in the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021 Assembly elections.

The DMK government has taken steps to address the environmental concerns — like forming a hydro-ecological committee to come up with ways to construct the airport by mitigating the impact to waterbodies.

However, the issue has become a test for Chief Minister M K Stalin, as on one hand, the city is very much in need of a second airport to accommodate increasing traffic, and on the other, he also has to take along with him a set of people who are accusing the party of changing their colours with respect to infrastructure projects, farmers and the environment after coming to power.