CHENNAI : A threat looms large at Pulicat, Ennore and Kattupalli. With the expansion of the Kattupalli port the lives and livelihoods of several people in these localities and the surroundings are in danger. Archita Raghu and Diya Maria George interacts with residents and activists from Pulicat, Kattupalli and nearby areas, bringing a larger picture of the #StopAdaniSavePulicat protests, in the first of a two-part story.
Imagine, over the next two decades, the raging sea slowly eats into Tamil Nadu’s coastline. The water swallows the 80-100 m sliver of land and allows the Bay of Bengal into Pulicat lagoon. The map of Ennore and Pulicat, now irrevocably altered, will now feature a cut in the borders like the Apple logo. Imagine, resources like leafy palm trees, spiky shrubs, mangroves, fish and prawns, and salt pans, sand dunes lost. Imagine 40 hamlets disappearing, one lakh livelihoods gone, frequent floods in Ennore and the city eroding slowly. While we can only imagine, for the people of Ennore and Pulicat this is not just a thought exercise.
With the 2019 announcement of the expansion of the existing Adani Kattupalli Port Private Limited, north of Ennore, this reality is near. Citizens say, while MK Stalin promised to shelve the port project in the DMK’s election manifesto, after he became chief minister, the expansion is yet to be cancelled. Cut to 2023, the hearing by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) — that was set to be held on September 5 — was indefinitely postponed, leaving people in the lurch. With the issue at the forefront, groups like Chennai Climate Action Group (CCAG), fisher associations, and citizens have not halted their protests. On August 18, the discontent spread to social media platforms like Instagram and X with a #StopAdaniSavePulicat storm. While protests continue brewing, CE talks to residents, activists and stakeholders.
Impact of industries
Since the 1970s, North Chennai, Ennore Creek, and Kattupalli Island have harboured stories of rapid mass industrialisation, changing landscapes, and pollution. “Initially, (it began with) Ennore Thermal Power Station which was set up in the 1970s…another port was set up here, in Ennore (later re-named Kamarajar Port Limited),” explains Lokeshwaran E, a CCAG volunteer.
In 2013, to deal with the many boats coming in and out of Kamarajar Port, Larsen and Toubro (L&T) Ship Building Port in Kattupalli was established.“The Kattupalli Port was originally owned by L&T and acquired by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd. (APSEZ) in 2018. Now, the project demands expansion from the existing 330-acres to 6,111 acres, of which more than 2,250 acres of land is sea. This land is proposed to be acquired by dumping dredged sand (from the Arani and Palar Rivers). It is a project of Rs 53,031 crore,” says Murugan, a resident of Pulicat and a member of the fishing community who has been actively protesting the soil erosion and other issues in the Ennore-Pulicat region for the past eight years.
In a beach behind the Kattupalli Port, these reporters found it simmering in hard-to-breathe hot air, filled with grey sand, and flat waves lapping the shore. “The wave is flattened, during low and high tides, there are wave currents. But here, the colour of the sea and the wave current have been affected,” says Lokeshwaran. He adds that this expansion will further affect the air pollution, ground water levels, and bird species that visit the region, eco-sensitive zones, and the already-eroding coast. Moreover, it requires the relocation of the Minjur Desalination Plant, affecting drinking water supply to North Chennai.
Exploring the expansion
According to the Tamil Nadu Maritime Board, the state has the second longest coastline (1,076 km) with three major ports and 17 non-major ports. Kattupalli port — a minor port — was able to obtain clearance approval from the Expert Appraisal Committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change by misrepresenting essential information and withholding other critical facts, says Durai, a resident of Pulicat.
According to Murugan, the authorities claim that the purpose of the project is development but the residents question if the development is only for one individual. Along the same coastline of Kattupalli Port, we also have Kamarajar Port and Chennai Port. “All major ports in Tamil Nadu put together have a total cargo handling capacity of 253.9 MTPA. However the total cargo handled in 2019-20 was a meager 114.9 MTPA. 55% of the existing port capacity in Tamil Nadu is lying idle,” states CCAG.
Once completed, this project promises employment for just 4,500 people. But over 50,000 people dependent on this lagoon and backwaters will lose their livelihoods if the project is implemented. The residents affirm that just three fishing villages in Pulicat catch about 4.5 tonnes of fish a day.
“When the port came, the government assured 1,800 permanent jobs but years later, they are still working as contract labourers,” says Meerasa, a mangrove conservationist from Pulicat. Over the years, traditional livelihoods, too, like basket-making with palmyra have been wiped out as the trees have become scarce, he adds.
Durai, a resident of Pulicat, says, “The project might benefit the government and Adani. But when one community is stripped of their lands, and rights, how can we say that it is the development of our land? Adani might be in Gujarat or Delhi or anywhere else and giving commands. Here, people are trying to survive. Development should be there for everyone.”
Citing the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA), he adds, the shoreline is receding at 8.6 m/year and that the project will cause the erosion to proceed at double this rate. The Coastal Regulation Zone Notification prohibits siting of ports in high-erosion zones aka the Kattupalli shores.
Uttarakhand-based Advitya, who grew up in the Pulicat area, says, “I’ve been watching (the kuppam) disappear little by little. Every time the north-east monsoon happens, the (sea) keeps coming inward and inward.” He explains how the seafront before Kattupalli Kuppam has rapidly been eaten over the past 30 years. “When my uncle bought a (parcel of) land in Kattupalli Kuppam, the sea was 300 m away in 1994-95. Then when he built a shed in 2004, it was still 200 m away. As of last year, this house has gone under and the erosion is not stopping,” he says.
Ports and other polluting activities are also prohibited within the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of wildlife sanctuaries. “The ESZ is taken to be 10 km unless notified otherwise. At a mere 2.1 km from the Pulicat Bird Sanctuary, the port will fall squarely within the default 10 km ESZ of the sanctuary, where any industrial activity such as building a port is prohibited,” shares CCAG. According to Lokeshwaran, while Pulicat has been designated as a bird sanctuary, the area around Karungali mouth also attracts at least 200 other species.
Of Pulicat & protests
The expansion will majorly also affect the Pulicat lake or Pazhaverkadu, a waterbody that is the beating heart of the ecosystem and is shaped like it. Around a few kilometres away from Kattupalli Island, Pulicat is the oldest Dutch settlement on the Coromandel Coast. The second-largest brackish water lake in India, “80% of it lies in Andhra Pradesh, and 20% in Tamil Nadu,” Durai says. Chennaiites frequent the area to sight flamingoes, white-bellied sea eagles and Peregrini falcons during migratory seasons. “Chilika Lake in Odisha is the largest brackish water lake. The Odisha government has set up a separate commission to look after the lake and the lives of the people dependent on the lake. Here, we don’t have anything like that,” adds Durai.
Around 15 years ago, Meerasa recalls, students were awed by the ecosystem in Pulicat, during biodiversity trips. However, much has disappeared in Pulicat since. “There were medicinal plants, sand dunes, casuarina forests, and freshwater plants. Now where you see buildings, there are a lot of palmyra and banyan trees,” says the conservationist.
In the interiors of Pulicat, towards Kattur, Meerasa and Advitya are working to restore the mangroves, and harbour the urge to protect their lands. “This is not a rainforest, it does not have leopards or tigers or charismatic species but if you look close enough, there is nothing wasteful about this place at all. What is left at least you can conserve,” says Advitya.
Pulicat residents have been fighting for their rights for a long time. The governments have changed, but we haven’t received any help, says Murugan. “Be it the Anti-Sterlite protest or the Kudankulam protest, the issues of Sri Lankan fishermen are proof that the fishermen community has been struggling. The politicians don’t speak for the community. Sometimes they might give opinions to the media but nothing happens with honesty,” says Durai.
As the threat of disaster nears, Meerasa believes that community action is the key to protecting Pazhaverkadu, Kattupalli Kuppam, and the coast. “As per my calculations, thousands of mangroves are here, and nearly 30 villages, 3,000 families, earn incomes through mangroves, indirectly these are natural resources in the Pulicat lake area. In this ecosystem, We should protect this and the livelihood of the Pulicat fishing community, not just traditional fishermen but Dalit, tribal, Irulars, and all families here. We have to save this place through community efforts.”
High Erosion
Medium Erosion
Low Erosion
Stable Coast
Low Accretion
Medium Accretion
High Accretion
In a recent exhibition, ‘Strokes of Solidarity’, CCAG listed out the illegalities of this project
ILLEGALITY 1
The project violates Coastal Regulation Zone Notifications 2011 and 2019, as it is situated in a high-erosion zone where ports are prohibited. The government defines high-eroding stretches as those losing 1 m/year. The project site is eroding at 8.6 m/year due to existing ports. The firm’s assessment reveals the project will double erosion to 16 m/year. According to the National Centre for Coastal Research, 18 km of 40.97 km in Tiruvallur, including the Kattupalli coast, are eroding.
ILLEGALITY 2
The project violates the Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972 as ports are not allowed within the ESZ of a bird sanctuary, and the Environmental Protection Act 1986, as ports aren’t allowed within 10 km of Protected Areas. The port is proposed at a proximity of 2.1 km from the Pulicat Bird Sanctuary, within its Eco-Sensitive Zone.
ILLEGALITY 3
It violates regulations against wetland conversion or encroachment, as stated by government orders and high court rulings. Waterbodies classified as poramboke are legally protected from purchase, sale or construction. It aims to enclose 2,300 acres of government lands, including 2,000 acres of Kosasthalaiyar River and Ennore-Pulicat wetlands, identified as one of the 14 priority sites under the Tamil Nadu Wetland Mission.