‘Several shrimp farms set up on eco-sensitive zone of Pulicat bird sanctuary'
The study, conducted by researchers from the Save Ennore Creek campaign, found that at least 309 acres (roughly equivalent to 34 cricket stadiums) in the village have been occupied by shrimp aquaculture farms. Of these, farms in 173 acres were set up in violation of environmental buffer norms that govern such activities within eco-sensitive regions.
Livelihoods in the village revolve around cattle rearing, agricultural labour, and hand-picking prawns. These activities rely heavily on communal resources such as meikkal poromboke (grazing lands), kazhuveli poromboke (floodplains), and the Kosasthalaiyar-Pulicat wetlands.
As per the Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CAA) guidelines, a minimum distance of 50-100 metres must be maintained between the shrimp farms and agricultural land. However, the study documented that at least 50 acres of aquaculture farms were located within this restricted buffer.
Additionally, the CAA Act, 2005 (amended in 2023), prohibits aquaculture farms within 100 metres of waterbodies such as creeks, rivers, and backwaters. Despite this, 110 acres of shrimp farms were found operating within the buffer zone of the Kosasthalaiyar river.
A further 13 acres fell within both agricultural and river buffer zones, compounding the illegality of their operations.
Only 178 acres of the total 309-acre farm area, owned by eight operators, have valid CAA registrations, the study found. Nine acres fell under non-renewed registrations, while 60 acres on private lands have no registration at all.
Meanwhile, a total of 62 acres of farms were built on encroached common land, which by law cannot be converted into private aquaculture farms.
The study points out that the CAA had approved registrations for farms in violation of its own siting regulations. Out of the nine registrations granted in Thangalperumbalam, eight allowed farms to be established on areas that include prohibited zones near agricultural land or the Kosasthalaiyar river.
The encroachment of meikkal poromboke and traditional cart tracks by shrimp farms has drastically reduced access to grazing lands. This had affected not only Thangalperumbalam residents, but also cattle herders from the surrounding villages such as Kadapakkam and SirupazhaverkaduEdayankulam, Andarmadam, and Jamilabad, who traditionally used these lands for open grazing, the study said.
Mary, a resident of Thangalperumbalam, said access to poromboke was access to local sustenance and development.
Agricultural labourers flagged the increase in salinity levels in farmlands over the last four to five years.
'The salinisation of our local food security is caused by the illegal siting of farms within agricultural land buffers; these should be removed,' said S. Devan, a resident of Thangalperumbulam.
Ecologically, the illegal expansion of aquaculture poses a threat to the Pulicat Bird Sanctuary, as the use of bird scare devices within these zones turns protected bird species into perceived pests.
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