WRD Seeks Fisheries NOC for ₹342.60-Crore Mamallan Reservoir at Nemmeli

The Water Resources Department (WRD) has formally sought a mandatory no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare Department for the construction of the ₹342.60-crore Mamallan reservoir at Nemmeli, nearly six months after work on the project commenced.

The proposed drinking water reservoir is situated in the Kovalam sub-basin between East Coast Road and Old Mahabalipuram Road. The Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority (TNSCZMA) granted Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance for the scheme on December 3, 2025. Meeting records from the authority confirm that clearance was issued for the WRD's plan to create a freshwater storage facility in the coastal wetland area.

As part of the clearance conditions, the TNSCZMA stipulated that the WRD must obtain an NOC from the Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare Department. However, the foundation stone for the ₹342.60-crore project was laid at Nemmeli on January 19, 2026, by the then-Chief Minister, flagging off construction on the ground prior to securing the certificate.

In a letter dated July 21, 2026, addressed to the Additional Director of Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare, the WRD formally requested the NOC. The letter stated that the clearance was required to comply with the statutory CRZ conditions and proceed with the project's implementation.

The delayed request has drawn sharp reactions from local fishing communities, who have been actively opposing the conversion of the Kovalam-Nemmeli backwaters and salt marsh into a freshwater reservoir. Residents and fishers have voiced serious concerns over the department seeking clearances after initiating major construction work.

Opponents have highlighted that the project covers an extensive coastal wetland, pointing to potential disruptions to fishing livelihoods, the loss of critical fish breeding habitats, and the impairment of the area's natural flood-buffering function. Furthermore, a government-commissioned coastal inundation map prepared in 2018 shows that large portions of the proposed reservoir site lie within a 3.5 to 4.5-metre inundation zone during extreme sea conditions.

The Fisheries Department stated during a stakeholders' meeting in July that it had not yet issued the NOC to the WRD.