Home / Environment / Illegal Shrimp Farms Razed in National Park
Illegal Shrimp Farms Razed in National Park
21 Mar
Summary
- Forest officials demolished 12 acres of illegal shrimp farms.
- The area will be replanted with mangrove saplings.
- Shrimp farms polluted groundwater and destroyed fertile lands.
Forest officials in Kendrapada district initiated a significant demolition drive on Saturday, targeting illegal shrimp farms within Bhitarkanika National Park. The operation, conducted under police protection, focused on villages including Pataparia and Vekta, dismantling shrimp gherries covering 12 acres. Officials stated that all farms violating Coastal Regulation Zone norms and court directives would be removed.
The cleared land is slated for reforestation, with mangrove saplings to be planted to restore the area into a mangrove forest. This initiative addresses widespread concerns from local villagers who reported that effluents from these farms were polluting groundwater and destroying fertile agricultural lands.
The unchecked expansion of illegal prawn farms, often converting mangrove forests and farmland since the 1990s, has led to shrinking forest cover. Bhitarkanika National Park, India's second-largest mangrove forest, was designated with 192 surrounding villages declared eco-sensitive zones (ESZs) in 2017, prohibiting shrimp farming within 2km of the park.
While many locals support the action, some shrimp farmers expressed dismay, arguing that paddy cultivation is not profitable and they had converted their lands for shrimp farming. They questioned the authorities' right to intervene.
