CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Wetland Authority member secretary Deepak Srivastava on Thursday said the Ennore Creek, a natural carrier of floodwater and an important wetland that supports livelihood of fishermen, may soon be declared as a protected wetland under Tamil Nadu Wetland Mission.
Speaking to TNIE after visiting Ennore, Srivastava said the creek and adjacent group of wetlands in Tiruvallur district need to be protected, both in terms of disaster management and water security.
"I have spent four to five hours visiting places and interacting with the local communities. Clearly, there is a lot of distress, especially among fisherfolk, due to pollution and degradation of Ennore Creek and Kosasthalaiyar River. The problem is huge and it can’t be resolved overnight. So, under the wetland mission, I have decided to execute macro-level livelihood programmes where selective dredging will be carried out in the creek chosen by fishermen themselves to restore fishing potential," the official said.
About 9,000 fishers from about eight villages --- Kattukuppam, Mugathwarakuppam, Ennorekuppam, Thazhankuppam, Nettukuppam, Sivanpadaiveethi kuppam, Periyakuppam and Chinnakuppam --- lost their livelihood after Tangedco dumped debris in some parts of the creek that are considered to be traditional fishing grounds.
Srivastava said his first priority would be to restore the livelihood of these 9,000 fishermen by removing the debris and dredging the area. "Currently, the water level is high. The work will be executed in April-May using the funds available under the wetland mission. Later on, I will push for the notification of Ennore Creek under Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2020," he said.
Only recently, the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Tamil Nadu government to notify the full extent of the unencroached portion of Ennore wetlands under the Tamil Nadu Wetland Mission to protect it from further abuse.
Ennore is one of the most industrialised regions in the State housing multiple ports, power plants and large petrochemical industries. This has resulted in overexploitation of critical wetlands that are key to flood mitigation and preserving Chennai’s fresh water aquifers.
In its final order in a case filed by Ennore fishers Ravimaran (late) and RL Srinivasan, and fisher activist K Saravanan seeking remediation of ash-choked wetlands, the NGT had directed the Department of Environment to ensure that a Detailed Project Report is readied in nine months as per the comprehensive Terms of Reference (ToR) issued by the Joint Experts Committee in March 2022.
As per the expert committee’s report, in the study area of 905 hectares, the area under natural wetlands had dropped by 68%. The official data shows the salt pans area reduced from 553.37 hectares in 1996 to 95.55 ha; water bodies shrunk from 233.60 ha to 148.69 ha, while the area under mangroves vegetation slipped from 68.72 ha to 33.74 ha. Overall, area under wetlands shrunk from 855.69 ha in 1996 to 277.92 ha in 2022. Incidentally, over the same period, built-up land increased from 0 ha to 259.87 ha and area covered by fly ash increased from 0 hectares to 260.28 hectares.
Srivastava said he has already asked Tiruvallur collector, chairman of the district wetland authority, to make an inventory of wetlands in the district and submit a report.