Pulicat Lake in peril, again

The Tamil Nadu government has taken steps to denotify the boundaries of the Pulicat bird sanctuary, which includes 13 revenue villages. This will exclude the villages and thereby reduce the sanctuary’s eco-sensitive zone. A port expansion plan and an industrial park within the present default eco-sensitive zone threaten its future. Will these developments further affect the lake, the land, and the livelihood of locals, all of whom have been bearing the brunt of industrialisation in surrounding areas over the last few decades?