Coastal communities are increasingly being dispossessed of their traditional livelihoods and pushed into precarious and hazardous forms of work in the name of Blue Economy-led growth, an independent three-member panel observed after a public hearing held in Chennai on Saturday, July 4.
The panel, comprising fisher activist Prof Fatima Babu, filmmaker and activist Gopi Nainar, and coastal activist Jesu Rathinam, heard testimonies from fishers and coastal residents from Thiruvallur, Chennai, Chengalpattu and Villupuram.
The panel noted that projects such as ports and power plants in Ennore and Kattupalli, industrial shrimp aquaculture and seafood processing in Thiruvallur, Blue Flag beach developments, the proposed Mamallan Reservoir, desalination plants, road expansion and the monetisation of salt lands were not isolated initiatives but part of a larger process transferring control of coastal commons from traditional users to commercial interests.
Fishers from Kovalam told the hearing that the proposed Mamallan Reservoir would convert the Nemmeli-Kovalam tidal salt marsh into a freshwater reservoir, destroying a vital wetland that supports fisheries, biodiversity and flood protection. They argued that the project could also undermine its stated objectives of climate resilience and drinking water security by disrupting the marsh's ecological functions.
Several participants said Blue Economy-linked projects were steadily shrinking traditional livelihood opportunities and forcing coastal communities into insecure wage employment in ports, industries, aquaculture farms and seafood export units with little protection or control over working conditions.
The recent deaths of 16 young women workers in an ammonia leak at St Peter & Paul Seafoods Exports near Periyapalayam were repeatedly cited during the hearing as an example of the risks faced by workers in the seafood export industry. Testimonies highlighted concerns over hazardous working conditions, child and bonded labour, and the recruitment of vulnerable migrant workers.
Representatives from Pazhaverkadu to Villupuram also spoke about displacement caused by ports, power plants, industrial expansion, shoreline erosion and other environmental impacts. Women fish vendors said beach beautification projects and road expansion had affected their livelihoods, while salt workers raised concerns over the conversion of traditional salt lands for industrial development.
The panel said the testimonies challenged the official narrative that the Blue Economy promotes prosperity, employment and environmental sustainability. Instead, participants argued that projects implemented under the policy were leading to dispossession, ecological degradation and the concentration of coastal resources in the hands of governments and private investors.
The public hearing was organised by the Neithaliyal Collective as the opening event of a two-day programme on the Blue Economy in Ennore.
