The Ennore Creek is a backwater located in Thiruvallur District, Tamil Nadu. As an arm of the Kosathalaiyar River, the Creek meets the Bay of Bengal at Mugathwara Kuppam, while the northern channel of the creek connects to the Pulicat Lake, the second largest brackish water lake in the country. Six revenue villages namely, Kathivakkam, Ennore, Puzhudhivakkam, Athipattu, Katupalli and Kalanji are located around the Creek.
The Ennore Creek, along with the Buckingham Canal and the rest of the Pulicat water system has vast importance for the local fisher folk. The Ennore Creek nurtures a healthy acquatic ecosystem which was once famous for it’s rich biodiversity. This ecologically sensitive ecosystem was home to large swamps of mangroves, that not only ensured a sustainable regeneration of fish resources, but also help mitigate flooding in times of strong rainfall, high tides and cyclones.
For decades, this creek sustained the livelihoods of the residents in the surrounding villages and has been demarcated as CRZ IV (Water Body) in the coastal zone management plan by the Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority. Undertaking any reclamation, bunding, construction or altering the natural courses of such water bodies is illegal under the CRZ Notification 2011, Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974 and the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
Despite being protected under such regulations, the unplanned industrial development of this area over the last few decades have had devastating effects on the whole ecosystem, resulting in loss of ecology and livelihoods of the fishing communities.
The Story of Ennore 