Fishermen from 40 villages surrounding Pulicat Lake are on the brink of a strike, threatening to march towards the Secretariat if immediate steps are not taken to assure the public about the safety of consuming fish from the region. Gnanamurthi, the president of Vairavankuppam village panchayat, voiced the distressing reality that nearly a month has passed without any work for the fishermen.
The Pulicat fish market, once bustling with activity, now wears a deserted look as potential buyers avoid purchasing fish, citing concerns related to an oil spill. Another fisherman pointed out the economic strain, explaining that the lack of fishing activity has depleted their reserves. He expressed worries about fish contamination due to oil presence, making their catch unsellable and resulting in wasted time and fuel.
Fishermen from various villages, including Arambakkam, have taken to protests, forming human chains to draw attention to their plight and seek relief from the government. Durai Mahendran, a community leader, highlighted recent discoveries of oil blobs on beaches and observations of dead fish with oil traces in Pulicat Lake, intensifying fears of contamination from inland water sources. The fishermen are urging the government to conduct tests on samples from the lakebed to assess the extent of the issue.
Officials from the Fisheries Department have engaged in discussions with the fishermen, attempting to persuade them to resume work. K. Bharathi, a community leader, underscored the fishermen’s agitation, attributing it to concerns about the lake silting up and diminishing catches. Tiruvallur District Collector T. Prabhushankar assured that fish samples from Pulicat Lake have been collected and sent for testing. Despite reassurances, fishermen remain skeptical, demanding concrete action to address the perceived threats posed by the oil spill.
In response to the crisis, District Collector T. Prabhushankar visited Pulicat Lake to rebuild confidence within the fishing community. While officials suggest that fishermen can safely resume fishing, the ongoing situation underscores the urgent need for comprehensive measures to address the economic and environmental challenges faced by the affected villages.
