NELLORE: Illegal transportation of earthworms from Pulicat Lake is going on unabated, thanks to greedy traders who sell the valuable food to aquaculture units.Normally, migratory birds, which come from across the world to the lake for brooding, prey on them.
Visit the brooding places of the district from many parts of the globe.Collecting earthworms has been banned by the Forest department for protecting the rich biodiversity of the Lake but the are going ahead with their illegal activity.
Pulicat Lake is a saline backwater creek that lies along the coasts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and also partly extends to Chengalpattu district of Tamil Nadu. It has an area of 481 sq km and it is the second largest brackish water lagoon in India after Chilka Lake in Odisha.
Earthworms are part of vermiculture and they are very useful as bio-reactor to multiply beneficial soil and decomposition of microorganisms. Every month forest officials are somewhere booking nominal cases against illegal transporters who shift worms on a regular basis.
They transport packed boxes through trains, RTC buses, cars and even travel services for sending to Chennai and AP based hatcheries across the state. “The illegal activity will lead to decreased number of winged guests from other parts of the globe if they find no prey for them in the Pulicat Lake area. This is a a dangerous sign. The officials have to respond seriously as it affects the prospects of tourism. No one is bothered about the problem,” said K Parasuram, an agriculture student from Sullurupet.
Traders and aqua unit owners are purchasing live worms at cheaper prices in bulk, engaging local tribals and other coolies in the activity. Some of the traders pay `800 per kg to local people and sell them at ` 3,500-4,500 per kg to aqua unit owners. In terms of money, 1 tonne of worms cost around `30-40 lakh in the open market, according to a trader. But, they were purchasing worms at `600-800 per kg, paying nominal wages to the workers.
Traders have been exporting earthworms to aqua units in Prakasam, Krishna, East and WG districts as there is good demand for them. Meanwhile, some of the traders have been depositing the earthworms at various places in Sullurpeta and exporting them to other districts. “Smuggling in the protect area has decreased when we announced that we collect a compounding fee of Rs 50,000 from the persons who pick earthworms from the lake. We have sought the support of the local fishermen to curb illegal smuggling of earthworms from the lake,” said a senior official of the Forest Department.
Bracking water lagoon
Pulicat Lake is a saline brackish water creek that lies along the coasts of Tamil Nadu and AP. It has an area of 481 sq km and it is the second largest brackish water lagoon in India after Chilka Lake in Odisha. Earthworms are part of vermiculture and they are very useful as bio-reactor to multiply beneficial soil and decomposition of microorganisms