In East Godavari district, an alarming trend of illegal aquaculture has emerged, causing widespread concern among authorities and local farmers. With its extensive seacoast spanning 138 kilometres across 13 mandals and over 4.50 lakh acres of agricultural land, the district, often referred to as the rice bowl of Andhra Pradesh, has witnessed a surge in aquaculture alongside traditional paddy cultivation in recent years.
The allure of lucrative profits coupled with minimal labour costs has attracted the attention of politicians from various parties, leading to the rapid expansion of aquaculture activities across freshwater and brackish water areas. Official records indicate that authorized aquaculture has been undertaken in 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) across 36 villages, with an additional 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) suspected to be illegally utilized for aquaculture purposes.
The district administration was alerted to the escalating issue by paddy farmers in the Konseema area, who highlighted the adverse effects of unauthorized aquaculture on water sources and contamination of ponds used for paddy cultivation. It is suspected that certain officials within stakeholder departments may be complicit in facilitating illegal aquaculture activities for personal gain, exploiting loopholes in the clearance process which involves multiple regulatory authorities.
Large-scale farmers are reportedly enticing small and marginal paddy farmers with financial incentives to lease their lands for aquaculture, often obtaining unproductive land certificates from the agriculture department to facilitate the conversion of land into aquaculture tanks.
According to sources in the Kakinada revenue division, illegal aquaculture is particularly rampant in Karapa, Tallarevu, and Pedapudi mandals, with approximately 4,500 acres encroached upon for unauthorized aquaculture, surpassing the permitted area of 15,000 acres. This surge in unauthorized activity underscores the urgent need for regulatory intervention to address the environmental and socio-economic repercussions of illegal aquaculture in the district.
