CHENNAI: Amid fierce opposition against the ongoing Mamallan Reservoir project from fishermen and environmentalists, the fisheries department on Tuesday revealed that it has not accorded the mandatory no-objection certificate (NOC) to the Water Resources Department for the project.
Responding to a query raised by activist K Raju, fisheries department officials clarified that an NOC is a prerequisite for carrying out any work close to the shore. The disclosure came during a stakeholders meeting on the project in the Kovalam sub-basin along the East Coast Road (ECR), held in Thiruporur on Tuesday.
The meet was organised by the fisheries department and attended by more than 200 fishermen and environmentalists. Thiruporur MLA B Vijayaraj (TVK) and Chengalpattu collector M Veerappan also participated. Then chief minister MK Stalin had laid the foundation stone for the `342-crore project in January.
On hearing this, several fishermen alleged that the reservoir project had been started illegally and demanded that the works be halted. “If the reservoir project is completed, there will be no prawns in the sea.
Prawns breed in the brackish waters of the Kovalam wetlands and migrate to the sea. This cycle will break if freshwater is stored in the region. Moreover, during high tides, seawater will enter the villages. Now, the natural wetland acts as a buffer,” said R Narayanan of Kovalam village.
Speaking to TNIE, Narayanan said the marine ecosystem in Kovalam has already been damaged by desalination plants.
Meanwhile, MLA Vijayaraj told the participants that the project was conceived during the previous regime and assured them that he would convey the fishermen’s concerns to the government.