CHENNAI: In a contentious decision, Tamil Nadu State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) on November 12 has granted environmental clearance for a modern greenfield fishing harbour in the Edaiyanthittu estuary in Villupuram district. The estuary is ecologically contiguous with the Kaliveli wetland ecosystem, of which 5,151 hectares was declared a Wetlands Birds Sanctuary just last week.
Any large-scale commercial activity in the estuary will directly impact the Kaliveli sanctuary, one of the largest waterfowl congregation sites in TN and a well-known raptor roosting site for species such as the Eastern Imperial Eagle and Red-necked Falcon. The Grey-tailed Tattler, a rare migratory wader, has been spotted only here and in Pulicat, in India.
As per the environment clearance, a copy of which is with TNIE, several infrastructural facilities, including action halls and packing halls, will be built near Alamparaikuppam and Azhagankuppam at a cost of Rs 235 crore to handle an estimated fish quantity of 24,000 tonnes per annum.
An area of five hectares of sandbar would be dredged to develop a navigation channel inside the Kaliveli backwaters to dock 110 mechanised boats and 300 motorised boats. To prevent sedimentation of the channel, two training walls are planned on the northern and southern sides of the channel measuring 400 m and 600 m respectively.
Domain experts said all of this will destroy seagrass meadows, oyster reefs and salt marshes in the area, besides triggering erosion.
‘Harbour to harm over 20 small coastal villages’
The fisheries officials, however, claim the harbour will improve the socio-economic status of the fishing communities of Chengalpattu and Villupuram districts. Although they claim no issue was raised in the public hearing meeting, there is massive opposition to the project from small-scale and marginalised fishers. M Ravi, ex-president of Kolathur village panchayat, said once the big fishing vessels are allowed to dock inside the backwaters and begin operations, there will be oil spills and discharge of effluents into the waterbody, which would hamper the productivity of nutrient-rich waters.
Bhavani, a widow fisher woman from Edaikazhinadu village, said oysters, clams and other shellfish will not grow in polluted waters affecting their livelihood. “Also, if the soil is dredged and the Kaliveli is deepened, we won’t be able to venture into the backwaters.” Saralan, one of the very few graduates from Muttukadu village, alleged that only few big fishing villages like Kadapakkam, Azhangankuppam, and Alamparaikuppam will benefit from the harbour, while over 20 small coastal villages dependent on backwaters will be affected.
“The mechanised and motorised boat fishermen, who already enjoy government subsidies, silenced our voices during the public hearing convened by Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board last January,” he said. A senior forest official in Villupuram told TNIE that the proposed harbour site falls outside the boundary of the sanctuary’s eco-sensitive zone, but acknowledged that any improper discharge of effluents into the estuary will affect the sanctuary.
“We are exploring the possibility of declaring Edaiyanthittu estuary as a conservation reserve,” the official said. As per the Fisheries Department submission, the proposed harbour will generate about 30,000 litres of sewage per day and 40 tonnes of biodegradable and 10 tonnes of non-biodegradable solid waste per annum. Although, SEI AA, in its clearance, imposed several conditions to deal with effluents, activists say compliance to norms has been poor in every fishing harbour.