1. Environmental Issues of Puducherry UT Civil Society’s Perspective Commissioned by: People’s Coalition for Green Tamil Nadu & Puducherry Compiled and Presented By: Nambi Ganesan, Development Consultant President, MASS, Voice: +91 95971 88936 Email: massthengo@gmail.com

2. Environment: What surrounds and affects Human Being or Plant or Animal or any other Biota A vehicle for analyzing and describing relationships between people and surroundings

3. Core Environment Group: CEG - Puducherry Public Affairs Centre – PAC HOPE - Coordinator MASS, PSF, PondyCAN!, Anbalayam, Karunalayam, People’s Pulse, Poovulagin Nanbargal, Sembadugai Nanneeragam Objectives of the Study on Environmental Issues of Puducherry UT: To identify environmental issues To search and obtain, collect data To collect qualitative evidence To prepare status paper

4. Methodology: Collection of General information Presentation and analysis of the general information during the meeting of the NGOs/ CBOs Assessment of the Issues identified Suggestions of mitigation measures Facilitation of preparation of the Environmental Plan for the UT by the Government Authorities Evolving an Environmental Monitoring Plan A list of References of resources Criteria for identifying Environmental Issues: Specific to the region. Immediacy/urgency of the issues. Poorly or not addressed by ongoing environmental efforts Most appropriate for immediate attention Based on the seriousness of the impact/s on people, their livelihoods and their environment

5. Puducherry UT Topography: S. #RegionArea (Sq. Kms) BordersRiverCoast line (Kms) Altitude Mts (MSL) StateSea 1Puducherry293Tamil Nadu Bay of Bengal Sankarabarani, Penniyar 23.25+ 8.85 2Karaikal161Tamil Nadu Bay of Bengal Arasalar, Thirumalairayan 17.4MSL 3Mahe09KeralaArabic Sea Mahe2.472.5 4Yanam30Andhra Pradesh Bay of Bengal Gouthamy Godavari NilMSL State/ DistrictTotal Population – 2011 census PersonsMaleFemale Puducherry UT1,244,464610,485633,979 Puducherry District946,600466,143480,457 Karaikal District200,31497,796102,518 Mahe district41,93419,26922,665 Yanam district55,61627,27728,339

6. Population Growth: Census of India – 2011 Population Totals – Puducherry Union Territory, India State/ District Total/ Rural/ Urban Total Population Decadal Growth 2001-11 Density PersonsMaleFemale Puducherry UT Total1,244,464610,485633,979 27.72 3,231 Rural394,341194,388199,953 21.07 Urban850,123416,097434,026 31.07 Natural Hazards: Cyclones, Depressions, Flood, Tsunamis S.#DetailsPuducherryKaraikal 1Villages devastated1617 2 Population affected (in Lakhs) 0.260.17 3Loss of Life107486 4Loss of Houses39016160 5Crops (in Hectares)80712

7. Coastal Erosion: 7 Kms of coastline eroded in 17 years 12% of the coastline is under threat of sea erosion due to the break waters at the Port Development of Ports: The hazardous waste will kill the depleted marine flora and fauna Livelihoods of fishing and farming community will be devastated Chemicals, Coal etc will bring in health problems

8. Urbanization: Increasing Urbanization with Real Estate boom has resulted in loss of livelihoods for the farmers Planned Cities become non planned cities without proper facilities Urban Sanitation: Lack of proper drainage and improper liquid and solid waste management Risk of infection/ outbreak of vector borne diseases Immigration: Industries attract rural and other states migrant labour Fast growth in industries, trade and tourism results in high level of immigration and floating population

9. Urban Density: Urban agglomeration increased from 4/sq.km in 1961 to 85/sq.km in 2001 Urban growth rate increased from 16.19% to 40.88% Irrigated area decreased from 38891 to 33525 ha Rural Population decreased from 79.98 to 34.01% Urban housing, sanitation becomes major problem Depletion of Ground Water Table due to over exploitation and pollution Roads and Vehicles: Vehicle density is around 259.1/sq. km Air quality levels are deteriorating Urban Housing: In 2020, 100000 housing units may be needed Shortage of available land for housing Urban Slums: 244 slums are occupying banks of canals, sewages, railway tracks for 25000 families

10. Waste Management: 1061 TPD is being generated in Puducherry UT Bio medical and Hazardous wastes are dumped with Solid Waste No scientific waste management – segregation at source, collection, recycle, reuse etc Waste becomes breeding ground for vectors Sewage canals, water bodies littered with waste resulting in inundation and flood Air Pollution: The emissions from households, industries, vehicles etc resulted in Dense Pollution Haze at 1 to 3 kms

11. Industrialization:: 7553 Industries with 7 Industrial Estates 88 Hazardous Waste generating Industries 34768 TPA hazardous waste is generated by 36 industries 74104 TPA of Bio medical waste generated is dumped with Solid Waste No Common Effluent Treatment Facility Common Facility for Bio medical waste yet to be developed Changes in Land and Land Holding Pattern: Land degradation due to salinization, alkalization, laterization and inundation Red Earth and Sand mining are affecting the ground water recharge Net cultivable area declined from 32266 (76-77) to 21570 (2002-03) Non Agricultural land use increased by 43.44%

12. Water Resources: Puducherry UT has no Water Policy still dates Water resources are undervalued and overused Water Pollution due to Urbanization & Industrialization is on the increase. Annual utilizable water runoff is around 49.5 MCM which can be stored in the 84 tanks. Rain water harvesting policy in vogue Tanks and Ponds get filled in for housing Non Protection of wetlands leads to sea water intrusion Water Management Problems: Ground water depletion at 15 to 30 meters Lower recharge due to reduction in vegetation cover Unsustainable extraction of water To ensure greater storage for recharge or decreasing the extraction

13. Sea Water Intrusion: Ground water has become Saline in 20 villages Shallow aquifers are showing signs of salinity Salt water has intruded to a distance of 7km from the coast Industrial Pollution: Ground water near industries are contaminated with heavy metals, salts and fluoride Bore well water near Industrial Estates become unfit for human consumption Sewage Pollution: Heavy flow of sewage has transformed an irrigation canal into a sewage canal 30% of the Municipal areas do not have proper drainage system Water Pricing: Domestic, Commercial, Institutional water charges are very low at 0.5, 1.5 per cubic meter respectively

14. Bio Diversity: Puducherry. Karaikal regions have no forest cover but wooded areas only Small mammals, reptiles, birds and amphibians are found in the wooded areas Wetlands, Marshy areas, Backwaters, Tanks, Ponds attract native and migratory birds Endangered Olive Turtle breed along the sea shore Mangrove Forest: Mangroves, the basis of complex food chain, protector against Tsunamis, erosion etc has depleted considerably in the last 20 years Encroachments of backwater bunds and cutting of mangroves by the locals

15. A SINGLE GOAL TO JOIN TOGETHER “Preserve and Protect the Environment”

16. Thank You Nambi Ganesan MASS # 26 D, Sree Nivas Gardens, Kakyanthope, Puducherry – 605 007. Voice: +91 95971 88936 massthengo@gmail.com