Tholkappia Poonga or Adyar Eco Park (also known as Adyar Poonga) is an ecological park set up by the Government of Tamil Nadu in the Adyar estuary area of Chennai, India. According to the government, the project, conceived based on the master plan for the restoration of the vegetation of the freshwater eco-systems of the Coromandel Coast, especially the fragile eco-system of the Adyar estuary and creek, was expected to cost around 1,000 million which will include the beautification of 358 acres (1.45 km2) of land. The park's ecosystem consists of tropical dense evergreen forest, predominantly comprising trees and shrubs that have thick dark green foliage throughout the year, with over 160 woody species, and comprises six vegetative elements such as trees, shrubs, lianas, epiphytes, herbs and tuberous species. The park was opened to public by Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on 22 January 2011 and named after the renowned Tamil scholar Tholkappiar. About 65 percent of the poonga is covered by water and artefacts and signages. In the first 2 months of its inauguration, nearly 4,000 children from several schools in the city and the nearby Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts have visited the park to learn about wetland conservation, eco-restoration and water management. While the first phase of the eco-park covered about 4.16 acres of CRZ-III area, the entire area covered under the second phase falls under this category.
Read more about Tholkappia Poonga: Geography, Early Phase, The Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust, Phase I, Phase II, Flora and Fauna, Civic Initiatives, Visitor Information, See Also