Nearly six months after construction of the Mamallan reservoir formally commenced, the Water Resources Department (WRD) has now sought a mandatory no-objection certificate from the Fisheries Department, a requirement stipulated in the project’s Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance.

The Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority (TNSCZMA) granted CRZ clearance for the proposed reservoir on December 3, 2025. The authority’s subsequent meeting records confirm that the clearance was issued for the WRD’s proposal to form a drinking water reservoir in the Kovalam sub-basin between East Coast Road and Old Mahabalipuram Road.

The then-Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for the ₹342.60-crore project at Nemmeli on January 19, 2026, flagging-off the construction work.

However, a WRD letter dated July 21, 2026, addressed to the Additional Director of Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare, has sought the NOC for the project. The letter explicitly states that while granting CRZ clearance, TNSCZMA had stipulated that an NOC from the Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare Department should be obtained. The WRD said obtaining the NOC was necessary to comply with the CRZ clearance conditions and proceed with project implementation.

Local opposition

Fishing communities, which have been opposing the conversion of the Kovalam-Nemmeli backwaters and salt marsh into a freshwater reservoir, have raised concerns over the WRD seeking the NOC nearly six months after construction began. The proposed project covers a large coastal wetland and has been flagged for its potential impact on fishing livelihoods, fish breeding habitats, and the area’s natural flood-buffering function.

A government-commissioned coastal inundation map prepared in 2018 shows large parts of the proposed reservoir area falling in the 3.5 to 4.5-metre inundation zone during extreme sea conditions. The Fisheries Department had also said in a stakeholders’ meeting in July that it had not yet issued the NOC to WRD.

Published - August 14, 2026 07:19 pm IST