Preserve seagrass beds, mudflats in Odiyur lagoon: NGT tells Highways Authority
The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to protect the seagrass beds and intertidal zones in Odiyur lagoon, while carrying out the widening project on the East Coast Road (ECR).
Delivering the verdict in a petition filed by K. Saravanan on the obstruction of Odiyur lagoon by the NHAI, the bench comprising Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati on Thursday emphasised the importance of preserving the lagoon to prevent marine habitats and maintain ecological balance from getting harmed.
The NHAI had deposited debris to build a bridge inside the lagoon as part of the project to widen the Mamallapuram-Puducherry stretch to a four-lane road. Further, cofferdam was initially planned to be constructed in two stages, covering half the width of the lagoon at a time, rather than the entire width all at once, to ensure the uninterrupted flow of natural tidal waters.
However, before the NHAI could complete the southern section of the cofferdam, construction on the northern section began simultaneously, disrupting the exchange of tidal waters. Subsequently, the bench ordered the NHAI to halt the construction of a cofferdam from one side of Odiyur lagoon in order to allow unrestricted flow of tidal water and also remove all the debris within one month after the construction is complete.
Read Comments
- Copy link
- Telegram
READ LATER
Remove
SEE ALL
PRINT