Pallikaranai Wetland has emerged as a crucial stress point in Chennai's rapid urbanization, which has increased the risk of pluvial and river floods, seasonal water scarcity, and the destruction of important habitats. Pallikaranai recovery is crucial for the city's long-term water security and ecological resilience because it still functions as a sponge-like landscape that stores monsoon runoff, recharges aquifers, and supports significant biodiversity despite being encroached upon by housing, infrastructure, and landfills. Pallikaranai was once a part of an extensive network of tanks, channels, and marshes. Pallikaranai Wetland—described by earlier studies as a sponge-like ecosystem that attenuates floods, recharges aquifers, and sustains rich biodiversity within Chennai’s urban landscape—serves as the central case study for this work (SACON, 2008; Ragapriya, 2020).