CM Stalin asks PM Modi to drop offshore mining in Gulf of Mannar
“Considering that the future of all these fragile protected ecosystems is at stake, I seek your personal intervention in this critical issue,” said Stalin, in his letter addressed to the PM.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin (File Image)
CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to exclude biodiversity-rich areas in the Gulf of Mannar off the Tamil Nadu coast from the bid to auction petroleum and natural gas blocks.
Expressing strong concern over the proposal for offshore mining activities in Gulf of Mannar, off the coast of Tamil Nadu, Stalin referred to the OALP-BID round X issued by the Directorate of Hydrocarbon, Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on February 11 for auctioning Petroleum and Natural Gas Blocks, and said that the notification included 9990.96 sq. km under the block name CY-DWHP-2024/1 in the Cauvery Basin, which falls within the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve and near the Palk Bay and Wadge Bank.
"Given the fragile ecosystem of the areas and their rich biodiversity, deep sea mining for petroleum and natural gas may cause irreversible damage to marine habitats and degrade the overall health of the ocean, " Stalin reasoned, urging the PM to reconsider the decision and delete all the notified biodiversity-rich areas from the OALP for deep sea mining.
"Considering that the future of all these fragile protected ecosystems is at stake, I seek your intervention in this critical issue, " said Stalin, in his letter addressed to the PM.
The Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve, which encompasses the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park was declared on February 18, 1989 by the Government of India. The reserve is a rich biodiversity encompassing varied ecosystems like coral reefs, sea-grass beds, mangroves, estuaries, mudflats, islands and forests, the CM argued. The biosphere reserve consists of a chain of 21 islands and adjoining coral reefs, spread over 560 sq km off the coasts of Ramanathapuram and Thoothukudi Districts, and supports a wide variety of marine fauna, he added.
Additionally, the Tamil Nadu government notified India's first Conservation Reserve for the highly endangered Dugong (Sea Cow) in the Palk Bay in September 2021, covering 448 sq kms of coastal waters of Thanjavur and Pudukkottai Districts.
