The record
Written from the 1 report below. Nothing here is unsourced.
- Traditional fishers and environmentalists in Tamil Nadu have asked the state government to drop the proposed Mamallan reservoir project near Kovalam, saying it was designed without properly accounting for tidal movements and storm surges from the Bay of Bengal.
- Citing a World Bank-funded coastal zone management plan, they warned the salt marsh site could be inundated by 3.5 to 4.5 metres of seawater during severe storm surges, threatening local prawn-fishing livelihoods.
- They also said the IIT-M technical assessment treated the sea only as a flood outlet and that converting the marsh would remove about 4,375 acres of natural flood storage, raising flood risks in nearby areas.
- Conservationists added that the wetland supports 107 to 137 bird species annually, including migratory and IUCN Red List species.
What to watch next
- Whether the state government or the Water Resources Department responds to or reconsiders the reservoir proposal
- The outcome of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance process and any review of the IIT-M assessment
- Further action by the Save Nemmeli Marshlands campaign and affected fishing communities
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1 report
English national1
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Named India · Kelambakkam · Kovalam · Mamallan reservoir · Nemmeli · Padur · Thaiyur · Thiruvidanthai · Indian Institute of Technology Madras · K.V. Sudhakar · Madras Naturalists' Society · R. Narayanan · Save Nemmeli Marshlands campaign
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