THOOTHUKUDI: Residents in villages along the coastal strip of Vilathikulam region said the massive flooding witnessed in their areas were due to the establishment of illegal salt pans encroaching the branches of Vaippar river and forest streams.
Two low-level bridges on East Coast Road (ECR) were washed away and a few sections of roads eroded in the recent downpour. As a result, residents in the nearby villages had to take a detour through Ettayapuram and Kurukusalai for nearly 20 km to reach Thoothukudi town.
The Thoothukudi ECR stretch is a part of the Nagapattinam-Kanniyakumari ECR corridor. The flash flood triggered by the continuous rain coupled with the breach of tanks had washed away a bridge and the adjoining road for 150 metres between Vepalodai and Kulathur and another narrow low-lying bridge at Palarpatti near Pattinamaruthur. Residents in and around Kulathur and Panaiyur areas said the water stagnated up to four feet above the roads.
The public in the region attribute the flood and subsequent damage it caused to the unscrupulous encroachment of rivers, streams and tanks by salt pan owners. At least 5,000 acre of salt pans are said to have encroached the water bodies. Notably, Thoothukudi is the second largest district to produce edible salt in the country.
According to Gunasekaran of Vembar, salt pan owners had encroached large swathes of Vembar river, which is a distributary of Vaippar, that flows into Bay of Bengal. “Another river Tharakudi Tharuvai, situated in nearby Sivaperungundram village, became salterns. In addition, over seven kanmois (large tanks) have been completely converted into salt pans. Encroachments of water bodies have led to water breaching into villages, erosion of roads, and damage to bridges of ECR. Though they are river or tank in government records, the successive governments remained mute spectators, while Tangedco provided electricity supply for the salt pans,” he said.
Gandhimallar, an activist, said the Thekku Kulathur tank was not opened for the timely release of surplus water, which could have caused the breach at the ECR near Vepalodai, which is also a hub of salterns.
Sources said Kallar river flowing through Periyasamypuram village has been converted to salt pans, and the river course has been reduced to a small canal on the patta land for draining the waste from salt pans. “Similarly other branch rivers of Vaippar at E Velayuthapuram, Eppodumvendran, and overflow channels between Athanoor and Pattinamaruthur have been converted into salt pans,” they added.
National Highways Authority of India project director Raut said the stretch was recently handed over to them by the state highways department. “It was constructed by the PWD. Temporary causeways are being established to restore transportation on the ECR,” he added.