The National Green Tribunal (Southern Zone) directed the Government of Tamil Nadu to notify the full extent of the un-encroached portion of the Ennore wetlands under the Tamilnadu Wetland Mission to protect it from further abuse. In its final order in a case filed by Ennore fishers Ravimaran (late) and R.L. Srinivasan, and fisher activist K. Saravanan seeking remediation of ash-choked wetlands, the NGT has directed the Department of Environment to ensure that a Detailed Project Report is readied in 9 months as per the comprehensive ToRs issued by the Joint Experts Committee in March 2022.
“If remediation is done as per the ToRs issued by the Joint Experts Committee, we are certain that the river will return to life. This will help lift local fishers from poverty, and protect north Chennai from flooding,” said K. Saravanan of Save Ennore Creek campaign.
The order directs the Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Forests and Climate Change to study the “unutilised” Ennore wetlands on the basis of the 1996 Coastal Zone Management Plan and protect that area against further development, declare the same as Ennore wetlands under the Government’s wetland mission and develop a plan for restoration of the fragile Ennore creek ecosystem and Ennore wetland complex.
Additionally, the Tribunal has directed the Chief Secretary to constitute a committee headed by the District Collector and including officials from Greater Chennai Corporation, TNPCB and TANGEDCO to hold quarterly meetings to hear and address public’s grievances regarding TANGEDCO’s functioning. It has tasked the TNPCB to prosecute and penalise TANGEDCO for its unlicensed operation.
“We are overjoyed with the order. Notifying the area covered by the 1996 Coastal Zone Management Plan as a wetland under the Wetland Mission and restoring the wetlands will be the most effective defence against the extreme weather events that will become commonplace in the coming era of climate change,” said R.L. Srinivasan, a fisher from Kattukuppam in Ennore.