Construction of a sea wall by National Highways to protect the newly-laid road in Dhanushkodi has triggered controversy with Forest department raising objection stating that it went against the standard of procedure (SOP) set by the Madras High Court for the protection and conservation of sea turtles.
As the construction activities have come at a time when the nesting and breeding season of Olive Ridley reached the peak, the department has written to the Divisional Engineer of the National Highways in Madurai to stop all construction activities forthwith but the work continued unabated. The construction of the seawall 16 metres away from the road and close to the sea turtle nesting beach, violated the SOP, a forest official said.
The court has clearly said that the nesting beaches should be protected even from jolly rides and other forms of destruction. The court has also prohibited structures and constructions that were obstruction to the nesting beaches, the official said.
Increased awareness
There has been increased awareness among the fisherfolk of preserving the nesting beaches and it was evident as the Mandapam forest range alone has so far collected 5,500 eggs and shifted them to the hatchery. This was more than double the number, collected during the last season, the official said.
Sea turtles were scared of visiting the nesting beaches in the Dhanushkodi stretch as the National Highway was busy constructing about 1.3-km-long sea wall from Arichalmunai point and another 1-km-long seawall from Muhuntharayar Chathiram point, pressing into service more than 10 earth movers and dumping boulders.
The sad part of the episode was that sea turtle eggs were found in a foundation pit dug by the National Highways, the official said.
Though Gabion boxes have been installed on either side of the 9.5-km-long road on the advice of the Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT-Madras to prevent the entry of sea water into the road, the National Highways has started building the seawall at specified areas after high tides damaged a section of Gabion box structures and the road in November last.
Meanwhile, sources in National Highways said that they were willing to cooperate with the forest department as they were also equally concerned about the conservation of sea turtles. They would have altered the alignment had the forest department informed them in advance, the sources said.
