impacts of proposed pudukuppam harbour
TRANSCRIPT
IMPACTS OF PROPOSED HARBOUR AT PUDUKUPPAM BY GOVT OF PUDUCHERRY
- CREATING ONE DISASTER AFTER ANOTHER-
2015 - TWENTY FIVE YEARS AFTER THE FIRST HARBOUR WAS BUILT
Erosion continues to devastate the coastline andthe Government of Puducherry has no funds to take up any mitigation measures
BUT
The Govt of Puducherry now proposes to construct another new fishing harbour at Pudukuppam at the border of Pondicherry and Cuddalore District
Existing harbour at Ariyankuppam
New harbour at Pudukuppam
Pondicherry
Cuddalore
Cutting open the existing sand dune to connect the sea to the canal
Construction of two Massive breakwaters 240 and 200 meters into the sea
Dredging the tank to a depth of -0.2m
PROPOSED HARBOUR BY GOVT OF PUDUCHERRY AT PUDUKUPPAM
240 M
200 MPondicherry
Cuddalore
DredgerSand Dune
The project under construction
FACTS ABOUT BAHOOR AREA AND THE MULLODAI LAGOON
Since Chola times water drained from the network of tanks through Mulodai channel into the Ponnayar River
PWD has spent 41 cr for the Tank Rehabilitation program which was funded by European Union
The Tank Users Association formed by PWD has done commendable work in improving the water situation
Freshwater from the canal is used to irrigate agricultural lands of farmers both in Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu
Many inland fishermen depend on this estuary for fresh water fish and prawns
Mullodai Lagoon
Ponnaiyar River
THE MULLODAI CHANNEL WAS NEVER OPEN TO THE SEA
The people living in that area also confirm that the channel was never open
PWD’s application for clearance from Ministry of Environment (MoEF) had 2 blatant lies
This project will not create any coastal erosion. (PWD has built seawalls all along the coast for protection against severe erosion and attended all the meetings on coastal erosion where hard structures have been disapproved)
The mouth of the channel was blocked with sand dunes during tsunami and hence the fishermen could not bring their boats safely to the land.
(This is to evade conducting an Environment Impact Assessment and Public Hearing)
Pondicherry Coastal Zone Management Authority gave approval without verifying the facts
Ministry of Environment and Forests cleared the project subject to certain conditions
- Existing sand dunes should not be disturbed in any way - PWD should ensure there is no ingress of saline water ingress into groundwater - Adopt Rainbow technique for beach nourishment to combat coastal erosion
PROJECT BASED ON FALSE FACTS
IMPACTS OF EROSION DUE TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HARBOUR
Existing harbour at Ariyankuppam
New harbour at Pudukuppam
River mouth will get blocked
SOUTH OF THE HARBOUR
Accretion of sand will block the Ponnaiyar river mouth and cause flooding in the hinterland
13 k
m c
oast
will
get
des
troy
ed
Destruction of all the coastal villages upto Veerampattinam affecting thousands of fishermen
Existing and proposed tourism projects will have to be abandoned
NORTH OF THE HARBOUR
IMPACTS ON FOOD, WATER & LIVELIHOOD SECURITY
Coast more prone to cyclones, tidal waves and tsunamis(Pudukuppam saved by sand dunes during tsunami while 2 km away in Cuddalore thousands perished)
BAHOOR IS KNOWN AS THE RICE BOWL OF PONDICHERRY
Salt water intrusion will make coastal aquifers and tank water saline affecting our water security
600 acres of land in Pondy and Tamil Nadu will turn into wasteland affecting 15000 farmers
An unique eco system will be lost
Tsunami funds being misused to make people more vulnerable.Puducherry Govt has not consulted the Tamil Nadu Govt for this project.
Pondicherry
Cuddalore, TN
Mullodai Lagoon
The Govt of Puducherry has not been able to find a solution or the resources to mitigate the damage
worth thousands of crores caused by the existing harbour.
QUESTIONS:
1) What is the justification of building another harbour ?
2) Who will be held accountable for this never ending saga of man-made environmental damage, human misery
and waste of public money and resources.
AGG (Alliance for Good Governance)INTACH People’s Pulse Pondicherry Science Forum PUDENCO Poovulagin Nanbargal Federation for People’s Rights PondyCAN Sembadugai Naneeragam Pondicherry People’s Protection Committee
E-Mail: [email protected]
Thank you