Desilt three estuaries of Pulicat lake, say fishermen

Fishermen of the Pulicat lake have urged the State government to take steps to desilt all three estuaries of the large brackish waterbody, two of which are in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. The lake has

Fishermen of the Pulicat lake have urged the State government to take steps to desilt all three estuaries of the large brackish waterbody, two of which are in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. The lake has one mouth at Nawabpetta, a second near Sriharikota and a third in Pazhaverkadu — all these allow entry/exit of sea water from the Bay of Bengal. At present the Tiruvallur district administration is temporarily dredging the bar mouth at a cost of ₹18 lakh. Collector Alby John Varghese recently visited the spot and interacted with fishermen where they asked that dredging be done on a continuous basis at the bar mouth. “They also asked that facilities be created for tourists and boating for tourism be allowed. Requests for re-laying of roads, lighting and water supply too were made, which we will ensure are provided,” he said. Community leader Durai Mahendran said they needed a long-term solution to the problem.