Govt prohibits 8 industries in Cauvery Delta

“The Cauvery Delta region, which is considered as the rice bowl of the state, is an ecologically fragile agricultural zone and certain industrial projects and activities in the region will adversely affect the environment, including depletion of ground water, sanctuaries, wet lands and eco-sensitive areas which are highly vulnerable to climatic change,” read the gazette, issued by the Environment and Forest Department.

Recently, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced that Cauvery Delta would become agricultural protected zone and made the announcement of an Act to give legal stature. Though farmers welcomed the announcement environment activists demanded state to cancel the GO passed in 2017 in forming petroleum zones in Cuddalore and Nagapattinam districts and to list in detail the prohibited activities in protected agricultural zone.

Following the demands, the state government withdrew the 2017 GO in establishing petroleum zone and also gave a detailed list of industries prohibited in Cauvery Delta region.

According to the gazette, “Zinc smelter, Iron ore processing plant, integrated steel plant, sponge iron plant, copper smelter, aluminium smelter, bone meal, processing of animal horn, hoofs and other body parts, tannery, exploration, drilling and extraction of oil and natural gas including coal-bed methane, shale gas and other similar hydrocarbons and ship breaking industry are prohibited in the protected Cauvery Delta region.”

However, the prohibition will also affect the activities and projects that are already in operation in Cauvery delta region.