9/29/2016

Ennore:industrialpollutiondestroyslivelihoodsoffishingvillages|
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(Thozhilalarkoodam)

(Thozhilalarkoodam)

AblogonlabourissuesinTamilNadu

Ennore:industrialpollutiondestroyslivelihoodsoffishingvillages
PostedonMarch29,2016byThozhilalarKoodam

SixvillagesalongtheEnnorecreekheldapublicmeetingon26thMarchtodemandanendtothepollutionand
encroachmentoftheCreekandotherneighbouringwaterbodies.Allthevillagersattendingthemeetingarefrom
traditionalfishingcommunities.Thesettingupofindustriesandthermalpowerplants,startingfromthe1960s,
haspollutedthewaters,destroyedtheKosasthalaiyarriver,andhasseverelyhamperedfishing,intheprocess
destroyingthelivelihoodoffishermen.Thefishingcommunitieswhowere
economicallyselfsufficient,arenowdependentonexploitativelowpaying
factoryjobs.Thecommunitieshavebeenprotestingthisindustrial
pollutionfordecadesnow,butwithoutmuchresult.Thepublichearing
wasorganizedbytheEnnoreAnaithuMinavaGramangalKootamaippu
withtechnicalandlegalassistancefromTheOtherMedia.Themeeting
waschairedbyretiredHighCourtjudgeD.HariParanthaman.
Ennore,locatedonthecoast,isattheconfluenceofmanywaterbodies.
OnitswestistheEnnorecreekwhichconnectstheKosasthaliyarriverinthesouthtothePulicatlake(or
PazhaverkaduEri)inthenorth.Themeetingoffreshandsaltwatercreatedarichfishingground.Asmanyofthe
speakersrecounted,whenthefirstfactory(AshokLeyland)cametoEnnoreinthe1970s,nobodywenttowork
therebecausetheycouldearnadaysfactorywagebygoingoutfishingfortwohours.Womenrecounted
memoriesofbeingabletodrinktheriverwater.
Butnow,Ennoreishometofactoriesproducingcementandfertilizer,inadditiontotheKamarajarPort,whose
constructionrequiredseveralwaterbodiestobefilled.Worstofall,threethermalpowerplantsEnnorethermal,
NorthChennaiandNTECLhavecomeupinEnnore(seeamapofEnnorebelowprovidedtousbyTheOther
Media).Theashandhotwaterdumpedbythethermalpowerplantshavedestroyedthewaterbodies.Chemicals
releasedintothewaterhavealsodestroyedmangroveforestswhichhasinturnaffectedtheprawnpopulation,
asmangrovesactasnurseriesforprawns.Notonlyhasthecatchofvariousfishreduceddrastically,butstudies
havealsofoundthepresenceofheavymetalsinthefishfromEnnorecreek.Villagerscomplainedofhigh

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Ennore:industrialpollutiondestroyslivelihoodsoffishingvillages|
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(Thozhilalarkoodam)

incidenceofskindiseasebecauseofexposuretothehotwaterdumpedbythethermalpowerplants.

Download(PDF,1.49MB)
TheconstructionofKamarajarporthascutoffaccesstotheseaforfishing.Oneofthespeakersfrom
Kaalakuppamvillagespokeabouthowthegovernmentistryingtocleanoutfishermenfromthecoast.Whilein
placeslikeEnnoreinNorthChennai,thecoastistakenoverbyportsandindustries,inSouthChennairealestate
andparkslikeVGParetakingoverthecoastline.Fishermenarebeingconfinedintoeversmallerareasofthe
coast.Movementsofthefishermenisalsoregulatedonpretextslikedangerousweather.Thespeakerasked,who
knowstheseabetterthanus,whyshouldthegovernmentrestrictusfromgoingtothesea.Further,hesaidthat
thegovernmenttrainsoutsiderstotakethejobofcoastguardthesejobsshouldrightfullybegivento
fishermen.
Now,peopleoffishingcommunitieshavetoseekjobsinfactories,wheretheyaredisrespectedasuneducated,
andhenceareonlygivenjobsliketoiletcleaningandgrasscutting.Manyspeakerslamentedhowtheyhavenot
beengivenpriorityinjobs,aftertheirlivelihoodswereuprooted.
ThefinalspeakerofthedaywasJudgeParanthaman.Hecomparedthefishermensissuestotheproblemofland
acquisitionfacingmanycommunitiesthroughoutthecountry.Hetalkedabouthowmanyadivasicommunities
havefoughtfortheirlandandforests,onwhichtheirlivelihoodsarebased.Hesaidthattheprimarydemandin
Ennoreshouldbetosavetheriverandtheestuary,notforjobsbecausejobslastonlyonegeneration,whereasthe
waterresourcesarethecommunitysassetsforgenerationstocome.

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9/29/2016

Ennore:industrialpollutiondestroyslivelihoodsoffishingvillages|
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(Thozhilalarkoodam)

FisherfolkofEnnorearedemandinganendtofurtherexpansionofindustryinEnnore,andtocleanupthe
Kosasthalaiyarriver.CoastalResourceCenter,aprojectrunbyTheOtherMedia,hastakenairandwatersamples
fromthevicinityofthepowerplants.Theywillsoonreporttheirresultsonthelevelsoftoxicheavymetalsinthe
waterandrespirabledustintheair.
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