Chhatrapur: Despite a High Court ban, unchecked and unabated prawn farming is posing a serious threat to Chilika lagoon, Asia’s largest brackish water lake straddling Puri, Ganjam and Khurda districts.
While the prawn mafia is making crores of rupees through illegal farming, the Chilika Development Authority (CDA) seems to be sitting pretty without any action.
Moreover, the waste materials are once again being released into the lake, adversely impacting its bio-diversity and environment. The pollutants pose serious threat to the aquatic life and damage its reproductive system, reports said.
Prawn farming has been a contributing factor to the rise in silting and also leads to the shrinkage of the lake area and makes it shallow.
As per the Coastal Aquaculture Act, no one is allowed to take up prawn farming within 2 km radius of Chilika. Taking note of a petition filed before it, the High Court had directed the Ganjam, Khurda and Puri administrations to take immediate steps to prevent such illegal activities. But no steps have been taken so far.
It appears that nobody abides by the court orders and the prawn mafia continues the illegal activities without any fear.Locals blame the negligent attitude of the CDA officials for the state of affairs.
When contacted, Bhubaneswar-based CDA additional chief executive officer Sasmita Lenka said steps were being taken to stop the illegal activities.
“The increasing prawn culture and the growing silt load could impact the lake’s salinity level which would have a bearing on its flora and fauna,” an environmentalist said adding that the prawn gherries also obstruct the natural flow of water in the lake.
“Prawn farming in the lake is illegal but it continues. We are opposing it because it directly impacts our livelihood,” said a traditional fisherman, who has been fighting prawn culture for a long time.
Fishermen allege that since businessmen and bureaucrats have a stake in the lucrative trade, the occasional drives carried out by the administration to demolish the prawn enclosures in the lake are nothing but eyewash.
Earlier, a meeting was called in this connection by Ganjam Collector Premchand Chaudhary. However, steps are yet to be taken in this regard.
PNN
