by Shreya Dasgupta Behind a lighthouse on Marina Beach in Chennai, the capital of Indiaâs southeastern state Tamil Nadu, two clashing scenes play out. On one side, early morning walkers wander the vast expanse of sand embracing the sea. On the other, opposite a row of identical green and pink buildings where the local fishing community lives, the atmosphere is frantic. Fishers are pulling in their boats and folding their nets on the beach. Vendors aggressively clean their fish stalls with water and brooms, readying them for customers. The fish that the sellers begin to stack into slippery pyramids on their tables represent a mixâsome of it landed on this beach by small-scale fishers, while the rest was caught by industrial trawlers operating farther away. That combination makes this open-air market an ideal place for a lesson in sustainable seafood, explains marine geographer Divya Karnad of Ashoka University in Sonipat, northern India. Sheâs addressing a
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A damaged house at the Podampetta village in Odisha. | Pramit Karmakar
Podampetta is a coastal village in the Ganjam district of Odisha. A few years ago, it had several households which were primarily involved in the fishing trade. Now it has only five households. The rest of the village has been resettled by the state government to a new area called New Podampetta, around 300 metres away from the village on the eastern coast of India.
The resettlement of the entire village was triggered by the massive coastal erosion the village witnessed in the last few years. The village lies along the Bay of Bengal, now at a distance of only 50 metres from the sea. Several houses there have been damaged by natural disasters and are now lying in dilapidated conditions.