Ennore

Sunset over the Ennore creek

Ennore Creek, along with the Buckingham Canal and the rest of the Pulicat water system has vast importance for the environment and for the local fisher folk. Ennore Creek nurtures a healthy aquatic ecosystem which was once famous for its rich biodiversity. This creek is part of a lagoon ecosystem that plays a vital role in balancing the coastal ecosystem in the area. The ecologically sensitive ecosystem was home to large swamps of mangroves that not only ensured a sustainable regeneration of fish resources, but also help mitigate flooding in times of strong rainfall, high tides and cyclones. Kuppam and Sivanpadaiveethi Kuppam rely wholly and perennially on the river and creek.[2]

For decades, this creek sustained the livelihoods of the residents in the surrounding villages and has been demarcated as CRZ I (ecologically sensitive area in the coastal zone management plan by the Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority). Undertaking any reclamation, bunding, construction or altering the natural courses of such water bodies is illegal under the CRZ Notification 2011, Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974 and the Environment Protection Act, 1986.

In December 2015, areas like Kuruvimedu, Athipattu, Athipattu Pudunagar, Ernavur, Manali New Town etc. were badly affected by floodwaters that did not recede as expected. The drastic reduction in the wetland area, and the depth of what remained has reduced the Creek's ability to evacuate floodwaters from Kosasthalaiyar, Puzhal surplus, Buckingham Canal and the Araniyar.

In December 2016, Cyclone Vardah made landfall in Pulicat, in the Ennore region. The resultant storm surge of more than 1 metre above the astronomic tide had reportedly inundated low-lying areas in the region. Normally, the Creek is the first shock absorber to deter the storm surge. But with its water carrying capacity vastly reduced, the Creek's ability to absorb storm shocks has also declined. As the encroachment continues, storm surges will send seawater deep into the hinterland through the rivers, streams and channels and inundate areas that have never before experienced flooding due to tidal surges.

The AK-basin, or the area between Araniyar and Kosasthalaiyar, has an important place in Chennai's water security map. The groundwater rich basin has six well-fields – Minjur, Panjeti, Thamaraipakkam, Poondi, Kannagiper and Floodplains—that yields up to 100 mld water for Chennai during stressed times. The AK-basin is also witnessing aggressive salinity intrusion due to a number of factors. To combat it, the state has invested money and fresh water in constructing injection wells and tidal regulators. The Creek maintains a salinity gradient, and prevents seawater from entering too deep into the hinterland through the rivers, streams and channels. However, as the waterspread and Creek depth decline, tidal influence will begin to be felt further inland. The Ennore Creek's western edges – which are the areas that have been and are currently being encroached – are salt marshes and abandoned salt pans. Both are wetlands as defined under the National Wetland Rules, and have been demarcated as such by the Government of Tamil Nadu under the Rules. By storing rainwater or lower salinity water, especially in the weeks and months after monsoons, the Ennore Creek's western edges already help offer some defence against salinity intrusion. Currently the salt pans and salt marshes are being converted to industrial establishments by altering the contours.

The fishing villages located in and around Ennore have for many years depended on the Creek as a source of livelihood and sustenance. Owing to the excessive industrial takeover in the region for many years now the number of fish in the creek declined significantly due to the leakage of toxic waste water from factories and the dumping of toxic fly ash. A study by the Aquaculture Foundation of India and three institutions including Anna University, found high concentrations of heavy metals in the water and marine organisms in and around Ennore creek due to pollution from industries and domestic sources. This study found high levels of heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium and chromium. Species such as flathead grey mullet, a widely eaten fish had levels that hovered close to dangerous limits. Over the years, several commercially valuable fish – including tiger prawn, mud crab, striped crab, sand whiting, silver biddy, cat fish, mackerel, grey eel catfish, croaker and white prawn – have disappeared from the creek.[4] In some areas the depth of the river has become so low, that is it impossible for a small fishing boat to move on it. Fishermen have lost their primary source of income and their lives been reduced to poverty.[5]

Due to siltation the creek has become very shallow, which makes fishing more difficult.

Many of the industries in Ennore pollute the air, especially the Thermal Power Plants. Data from the Central Pollution Control Board and from independent bodies show that the air quality is clearly worse than the limits and can only be prescribed as "unhealthy" or "very unhealthy". For PM 2.5 (Particulate Matter or dust less than 2.5 micrometers in size) the air pollution is up to 3.7 times higher than standards prescribed by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC).[6] Data from the CPCB for the region shows that from 01.06.2017 to 22.06.2017 the level of PM 2.5 was 88 µg/m³, which is clearly higher than the prescribed standard (60 µg/m³).[7] PM 2.5 can lead to asthma, lung cancer and even heart attacks.[8] Many residents in Ennore suffer from health problems. Old residents tell that those problems were absent decades ago and started with the industrialisation of the area. Public health specialists confirm that air pollution in Ennore can affect the health of the residents negatively.[6]