Construction of mega port complex in North Chennai will put 10 lakh persons at risk of disastrous flooding and hurt livelihood of over 30,000 fishermen, Congress MP and Former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said on Monday (July 15) in the Rajya Sabha.
Speaking during the special mention, Mr. Ramesh said environmental destruction anywhere was a threat to environmental balance everywhere.
“The proposed construction of the Mega Port Complex in North Chennai by a private company with dubious environmental credentials will irretrievably damage the Ennore-Pulicat eco-system with its invaluable mangroves and salt marshes and the Kattupalli Barrier Island with its thickly vegetated sand dunes,” he said.
The Barrier Island separates Lake Pulicat, the second largest brackish water lake in India, from the Bay of Bengal. The Kattupalli dunes protect the hinterland from violent storms and salinity intrusion. The Ennore-Pulicat backwaters absorb rainwater and tidal storm surges.
