Unsafe to leave boats at sea, say T.N. fishermen

Fishermen say they haven’t any area to park boats or maintain nets safely as instructed by the State authorities in instances of cyclones.

During the monsoon, the ocean advances inland, and in some locations even enters coastal villages. S. Palayan, a fisherman of Ururkuppam, stated fishermen had dragged the boats onto the highway of their village.

“The sea is very close to our homes, and if we leave our boats on the beach, they would be washed away or buried in the sand and damaged,” he stated.

At Pulicat, the place the brackish water lake is brimming with floodwaters from numerous rivers, together with the Arani river, fishermen have pulled their boats additional up the embankment.

“There has not been much rain in our area, but water from other places have flowed in here. Another round of opening of the dams upstream would only mean we would have to leave the boats on the main road. And it is not an easy task since the boats weigh a lot. The smallest boat weighs half-a-tonne. We need cranes to move most boats, and when fishing activities resume, the cranes have to be engaged again,” stated A. Ganesh, a fisherman.

“Sea erosion has eaten up space in many villages, and in some places, roads and beach beautification projects, too, come in the way. There is no designated space for keeping boats, nets and engines safely in our villages. The government must designate spaces for such a purpose,” stated K. Bharathi of South Indian Fishermen Welfare Association.

He stated that even throughout full moons and a few months when the ocean can be tough, the waves would wash away blocks of sand in a single day.

The authorities ought to assemble shelters for engines and nets to be utilized by fishermen, he stated.