Andhra Pradesh: Fisherpeoples' Protest Compel Stoppage of Mangrove Destruction

 


Gogannamattam Village (16°26'23.67"N, 81°57'3.13"E) located on the bank of Vainatheya which is a tributary of River Godavari. On the west side of the village flows river Vainatheya which opens up at nearby coast into Bay of Bengal. This creates a unique estuary from the coast where large area of Mangrove patches was formed.

On the date of 25-01-2022 excavators started excavating the soil and forming an approach road to enter the Mangrove patch (16°25'55.62"N, 81°57'14.41"E). Villagers of Gogannamattam village after knowing the information of excavation activity had rushed to the destruction site. Excavators had formed an approach  road and uprooted the mangrove trees on the site. Villagers obstructed the destruction of Mangrove trees and the excavation activity was stopped. Excavators had destroyed several trees  in the area which belong to the Mangrove species.

Biodiversity: Mangroves in this region supports as life line for many Bird species and Marine species. The area of Mangroves near Gogannamattam are important habitat for Painted storks (Mycteria leucocephala) whose numbers are decreasing and classified as Near threatened in IUCN red list. These mangroves support marine species for their reproduction and hatching of their eggs. Many species of Mollusca, Amphibians, Reptiles depend on this habitat for their survival. This site acts as nesting site for many birds.

CRZ: Based on Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) the area which is intended to be destroyed and approach road was laid falls under CRZ – IA which is highly protected area and consists of critical flora and fauna. No construction activities of activities related to aquaculture are allowed in this zone. As this area had Mangroves additional 50 m buffer zone is allowed for protection of mangroves from any type of constructions.

Popular posts from this blog

Third degree torture used on Maruti workers: Rights body

Haruki Murakami: On seeing the 100% perfect girl one beautiful April morning

The Almond Trees by Albert Camus (1940)

Satyagraha - An answer to modern nihilism

Rudyard Kipling: critical essay by George Orwell (1942)

Three Versions of Judas: Jorge Luis Borges

Goodbye Sadiq al-Azm, lone Syrian Marxist against the Assad regime