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Use of explosives poses a threat to environment Law & order

The rampant and illegal use of explosives to catch fish at sea is destroying the marine environment off Vizhinjam, district Revenue officials have said.

They said the unsustainable fishing practice was the main reason for the indiscriminate destruction of submarine reefs close to the shore. These marine life-rich reefs are natural sanctuaries and hatcheries for various species of edible fish.

A section of fishermen in Vizhinjam use locally made explosives designed to explode under water to harvest fish. The explosions trigger high-pressure underwater currents which destroy all marine life in a considerable radius.

The officials said ravaged marine environments took a long time to regenerate and this was against the long-term interests of the fishermen community in the region.

Though hundreds of fish are killed in an underwater explosion, only a small fraction is harvested. Most of the dead fish are washed ashore and left to rot in large numbers on the beach, further polluting the environment.

The depth charges used for fishing, locally known as ‘thotta,’ are fashioned from gelignite sticks sourced from quarries and illegal stockists of explosives in Tamil Nadu.

The police said a majority of traditional fishermen in Vizhinjam were opposed to the use of explosives for fishing. They viewed the use of ‘thotta’ as a direct threat to their livelihood. Any confrontation over its illegal use was quick to assume a communal colour, the police said.

Despite widespread resistance in the area, a small section of fishermen continued to use ‘thotta’ for harvesting fish, the police said. The illegal practice was nearly 40 years old and had often threatened communal peace. The explosives were often smuggled from Tamil Nadu to Vizhinjam in fishing boats.

District Collector N. Ayyappan has ordered the formation of committee comprising policemen and local representatives to check if explosives were concealed in boats setting out to sea from Vizhinjam harbour and the adjoining areas. Policemen would be deployed in boats with video cameras to identify those who resorted to the illegal practice. There is also mounting concern in the Police department that nitro-glycerine-based explosives are being secretly traded in the State despite a ban on the possession and sale of such substances by the Chief Controller of Explosives in 2004.

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