Fishers allege Mamallan reservoir plan ignores tidal inundation risks

Traditional fishers from villages along the Kovalam sub-basin on Monday urged the State government to abandon the proposed Mamallan reservoir project, alleging that it had been designed without adequately accounting for tidal movements and storm surges from the Bay of Bengal.

At a press conference organised by the Save Nemmeli Marshlands campaign, fishers, environmentalists, and conservationists said government-commissioned Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan, funded by the World Bank, indicate that much of the proposed reservoir site on the ‘uppankazhi ’ salt marsh would be inundated by 3.5 to 4.5 metres of seawater during severe storm surge conditions.

They argued that the Water Resources Department’s (WRD) proposal and the technical assessment by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M), submitted in support of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance, had not adequately assessed this risk.