CHENNAI: A private shrimp hatchery in Kovalam has allegedly built a permanent pumping station hardly 10m from the sea. It is located adjacent to Tamil Nadu Blue Flag beach and the exteriors are painted to resemble blue flag beach structures. When TNIE visited the spot recently, there were huge pipelines sunk underground in the room spread around 150 sq ft.
The workers engaged by Raj Hatchery Madras Private Limited were laying multiple long seawater intake pipes into the sea. While shrimp hatcheries are allowed to take seawater for their daily operations, building concrete structures so close to the sea is a violation of the coastal regulations.
In 2016, the State government declared coastal stretches from Kottivakkam to Kovalam as an Olive Ridley turtle nesting ground. The area where the pumping station is constructed falls in CRZ-3 (no-development zone) as marked in the approved Coastal Zone Management Plan prepared by National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management.
Bhaskar Reddy, general manager of the hatchery, claimed that the hatcheries are exempted from CRZ regulations by Coastal Aquaculture Authority and the firm has been in operation for the last 25 years and possesses all requisite permission. However, Coastal Aquaculture Authority does not have the authority to permit buildings in a CRZ area.
As per the Coastal Regulation Zone notification, 2011, no construction is allowed in the area except for repairs of existing authorized structures. Without a prior CRZ clearance, works cannot be carried out.
Chengalpattu Collector AR Rahul Nadh told TNIE the company claims they have permission from the Coastal Aquaculture Authority. “When we were building infrastructure for the blue flag beach, the pumping station was in our area. We issued notice and made them relocate.
“The district administration tried to reach out to Coastal Aquaculture Authority on how permission can be given to structures so close to the sea, but we didn’t get any positive response. I will check again and if found violating, will issue a notice,” he said.
It’s a common sight all along the ECR that hatcheries releasing untreated discharge into ecologically sensitive intertidal CRZ areas. Aquaculture effluent, which usually contain pharmaceutical waste, affects the health of intertidal life when discharged into intertidal areas, activists said. There was no response from the office of Coastal Aquaculture Authority to calls or e-mail.