Chennai will get its third botanical garden on the city’s outskirts.
What’s it about? The location for the new garden has been finalised at the Kadambur village along GST Road, about 20 km from the Vandalur zoo. It’ll cover 338 acres and be home to climate-resilient plants. The goal is to increase the city’s green cover to 33% from the current 23.7%.
- This will be the third such garden after the one in Madhavaram and the Semmozhi Poonga. The new garden is expected to be completed by March 2023.
- Work will begin once an MoU is signed with UK-based Kew Gardens. It has expertise in setting up botanical gardens and will guide the government with technical expertise and handling the plants.
Plant species: The garden will have only climate-resilient species of plants with a shortlist already prepared. It will also have different types of gardens like flower, bamboo satum, a herbal garden, and a mini forest. For non-native and exotic species, there’ll be greenhouses.