Muhamma: As delays persist in opening the Thanneermukkom bund shutters, a deepening livelihood crisis is pushing fishing communities around Vembanad lake to the brink.

Protests are mounting over the prolonged closure, with thousands of families dependent on fishing and clam collection struggling to make ends meet for over three months. As per the farming calendar, the shutters are to be closed on December 15 and reopened on March 15. However, fishermen allege that this schedule is rarely followed in practice and often remains confined to paper.

Last year, the shutters were opened only on April 11 and this year, no decision has yet been taken on when they will be opened. The advisory committee, chaired by the District Collector, is responsible for making this decision.

The shutters are closed every year primarily to prevent saline water intrusion into paddy fields. While the paddy harvest in Kuttanad and other parts of Alappuzha district is nearly complete, delays in harvesting in the western regions of Kottayam district are cited as the reason for postponing the opening of the shutters.

Following the delay in opening the shutters, large quantities of waste have accumulated in the lake and its feeder canals in the southern stretches of the bund. The water has turned toxic, contaminated by chemical pesticides used in nearby paddy fields. With oxygen levels dropping, large-scale fish deaths are being reported across the lake. Fishermen dependent on the Vembanad lake say the absence of saline inflow has significantly affected fish breeding and reduced the yield of black clams.

Pollution has also led to a sharp decline in the availability of fish and prawns, leaving hundreds of Chinese fishing nets along the lake virtually inoperative. Unregulated sand mining on the southern side of the Thanneermukkom bund, carried out for national highway construction, has further worsened the crisis faced by fishermen.

Although a high-level meeting was held recently, no decision on opening the shutters was reached. There are indications that the bund shutters may be opened in phases later this month. However, irrigation department officials say no official order has been issued so far. A total of 90 shutters and four navigation locks at the Thanneermukkom bund need to be fully opened with mechanical assistance.