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Gujarat elections 2017: Bharuch fishermen unhappy with BJP

There are around 20,000 families of fishermen which are cursing the BJP government as around 100 km Hilsa fishing stretch has been shrunk to 70 km

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Ever since the Sardar Sarovar Dam has been constructed, fishermen in Bharuch and nearby villages say there is less production of hilsa fish due to increase in salinity of water.   

There are around 20,000 families of fishermen which are cursing the BJP government as around 100 km Hilsa fishing stretch has been shrunk to 70 km.

Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated weir-cum-causeway project at Bhadbhut which will prevent fresh water to the Gulf of Cambay and will almost stop the availability of hilsa fish here in future and it will become extinct.  

Environmentalist MSH Shaikh of Brackish Water Research Centre, Surat, said, “The development will imbalance the eco-system. To lay eggs Hilsa fish travels from more than 1000 km from sea and come to brackish water. The causeway will block the river and Bhadbhut which lies on the estuary will not have the brackish water, because it will create imbalance in the fresh and sea water which is the place where hilsa lay eggs,” added Shaikh.  

Instead of Bhadbhut, the government can construct a causeway somewhere in the fresh water which can’t damaged the ecology. “We are trying to convince government to change location of the weir so that damage can be prevented. There are very few locations across the world where Hilsa is available. The government is claiming that they are going to give a passage for the fish to enter  fresh water. But that won’t work as hilsa lays eggs in brackish water and not in fresh or only saline water,” remarked Shaikh.  Ramesh Tandel, fisherman of Bhadbhut said, “In the estuary between Narmada and Bhadbhut where the project is conceptualised is a place where sweet and saline water meet. That is the place where large quantity of hilsa is found. If the causeway is constructed the fishing industry will wipe out.”  “If the causeway is constructed not only the fishermen would be affected but local fish vendors and ice business would be hit,” he said.

OVER 30K TO BE HIT

  • As per an estimate, there are around 30,000 families directly or indirectly banking upon fishing industry here with a turnover of around Rs 500 crore a year. This business is not getting any subsidy from government either.
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