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For the fishing communities of Ennore, the creek has been a source of livelihood for generations. But following the mass fish kill reported on August 15, thousands of families are now worried about how they will earn a living.
Located around 20 km from Chennai, Ennore is home to eight fishing villages — Nettukuppam, Thalangkuppam, Ennorekuppam, Mugadwarakuppam, Kaattukuppam, Sivan Padai Veedhi Kuppam, Periya Kuppam and Chinna Kuppam. Around 8,000 people in these villages depend on the Ennore Creek, Kosasthalaiyar river and the Bay of Bengal for their livelihoods.
The mass fish deaths have severely affected their income. Many fishermen have stopped fishing in the creek, while fish vendors are struggling to find affordable supplies.
Amavasai, 39, a fisherman, said he believes it could take two to three years for the fish population to recover.
“It takes time for the fish to reproduce and grow fully to the stage where we can catch them,” he said.
For fish vendor Brindhavathi, 55, the decline in fish catch has meant travelling to the Kasimedu fish market to buy fish at higher wholesale prices.
“We have taken loans from moneylenders and banks. Without selling fish, we cannot survive,” she said.
Rathna, 36, whose husband is a fisherman, said her family is struggling to repay loans as fishermen have been unable to fish in the creek.
“We don’t know how we are going to repay the money. The government must answer for what has happened,” she said.
The incident has also renewed long-standing concerns among residents about the impact of industries surrounding Ennore’s water bodies. Residents allege that industrial effluents have affected the quality of the water over the years.
Jayagopi, 60, who has been fishing since he was young, said he has seen the condition of the water deteriorate over the past decade.
“For the last eight to 10 years, because of the industries around the place, the water has been affected. Due to this, we get skin infections and diseases,” he said.
However, the exact cause of the mass fish deaths has not yet been established. Tamil Nadu Environment and Climate Change Minister Rajeev told the Assembly that preliminary tests indicated that human waste and low levels of dissolved oxygen could have contributed to the deaths, rather than industrial effluents.
According to the minister, dissolved oxygen levels near the Ennore railway bridge were around 2 milligrams per litre, compared to the normal level of around 4 milligrams per litre.
The state government has formed a four-member committee comprising officials from the Fisheries Department, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board and Dr MGR Fisheries College to investigate the incident. The committee has been asked to submit its report within 10 days.
For the fishermen, however, the uncertainty continues.
“It has been 12 days since the incident. We have not gone fishing since then,” said Desappan, a village functionary head.
He said fishermen have little savings to fall back on because their income is irregular and often barely enough to meet their daily needs.
With the creek no longer providing a reliable source of income, some fishermen have begun venturing into the sea.
“We cannot depend upon the creek for livelihood after this. We are casting nets to fish at the sea. We have no other way,” said Rajinikanth, a fisherman.
The impact is being felt beyond the fishing community as well. T K Shanmugam, president of the Federation of North Chennai Residential Welfare Association (FNCRWA), said the incident had raised concerns about both the environment and the future of livelihoods in Ennore.
“The incident has projected a picture that the place is unfit to live in and also the livelihood of the people is not possible there. We demand that the government must announce a green buffer zone along with a coordinated environment plan,” he said.
For the fishing communities, the immediate concern is not only what caused the fish deaths, but how they will survive while the creek recovers.
After generations of depending on the same waters, many now fear they may have to look elsewhere for their livelihoods.
This story was written by a student interning with TNM.