CHENNAI: With sea erosion threatening to displace them, Pulicat fishermen have demanded that the Tamil Nadu government declare the Kattupalli coast a 'high erosion zone', which would prevent mega projects like the proposed Adani port from using the fragile coastline.
Erosion triggered by ports constructed in the southern portion of Kattupalli island is already eating into Korakuppam and Sattankuppam villages. Sattankuppam has decided to evacuate the entire village.
As part of their respective environmental clearances, the ports were required to undertake "beach nourishment" by dredging sand accumulated to the south of their breakwaters and depositing it on the northern side. While beach nourishment cannot reverse or arrest erosion, it can reduce the rate of erosion.
"But due to lack of enforcement by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), not one of the three ports have complied with that condition. As a result, erosion has increased and is affecting all fishing villages on the Kattupalli coast," said R Dhavamani, president of Pulicat Lighthouse Kuppam panchayat, which comprises 15 coastal fishermen villages.
Because Kattupalli is a narrow sandy barrier island separating the Bay of Bengal from the Pulicat wetlands and lagoon, erosion can breach the thin strip of sand. This will result in the merging of the Pulicat lagoon and the Bay and destroy the Wildlife Sanctuary.
Dhavamani and other fishermen leaders submitted a formal representation to state fisheries minister Anitha Radhakrishnan during his visit to Pulicat on Thursday to inspect sea erosion. Radhakrishnan hogged the limelight infamously as he was carried by a fisherman after he refused to wet his shoes in ankle deep water.
Meanwhile, separate representations were also sent to Environment Minister Siva V Meyyanathan and environment secretary Supriya Sahu.
Environmental activist Nityanand Jayaraman told The New Indian Express that there are several scientific studies establishing that Kattupalli coast is eroding and the problem is worsening year on year. The state government should declare the Kattupalli coast a high-eroding zone and insist on existing ports to comply with the stipulations in their environmental clearances to nourish the beach on the northern side.
"Ports and harbours are not permitted in high-erosion zones. Notification of this coast as a high-eroding zone on the basis of scientific studies already available will also rightly restrict Adani's plans which will be disastrous for the region," he said.
A 2003 study conducted by Anna University's Institute for Ocean Management reported a maximum erosion of 40.60 m north of Kattupalli kuppam and a minimum of 11.13 m north of Kalanji village between 1999 and 2001. That is an erosion rate of between 5.6 and 20.3 m/year.
A 2006 study by the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences established that along the north coast of Ennore port, the beachfill area is undergoing severe erosion at the rate of 50m per annum. The study noted, "Now with the construction of Ennore port, 16 km North of Chennai port, another erosion problem has emerged and similar issues like Chennai port are on the way. If no intervention is planned, threat to ecologically sensitive Pulicat Lake is inevitable."
In April this year, The New Indian Express reported how multiple ports in Chennai have triggered erosion problems in Sriharikota island, which is India's spaceport and a critical facility.
M Srinivasulu Reddy, Controller in Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-Shar), had confirmed to The New Indian Express that Sriharikota barrier island was experiencing a little erosion especially on the northern strip and requested scientists from the Chennai-based National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) to undertake studies and recommend solutions. A top official of NCCR told The New Indian Express that initial assessment shows the coastal areas are subjected to erosion due to both natural and anthropogenic activities. "The only way to manage the coast is to balance the sediment budget with proper analysis of natural and man-made activities," the official said.