Kendrapara: Nearly a thousand acres of revenue and forest land have been encroached upon for unlawful prawn farming activity in the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary in violation of the forest and environment protection laws.

Altogether 873 unauthorised prawn dykes have been identified after a 10-day survey conducted recently. These illegal dykes are being dismantled in phased manner. "Besides, legal action will be initiated against the squatters," said Rajnagar tehsildar Nihar Ranjan Mallick.

Orissa High Court had earlier ordered to demolish and dismantle all the illegal prawn dykes (locally known as gherries) in the sanctuary.

The state government had, in an affidavit submitted to the high court, claimed demolition of prawn dykes in the prohibited areas.

The raising of illegal prawn dykes on the government land within the sanctuary has been going on under the overt patronage of revenue and forest officials.

Prawn dykes impede the free flow of saline water from creeks and water inlets. The mangrove wetland sites sustain because of the salinity of water. The dykes have been causing immense damage to the ecosystem of the sanctuary. Incidentally, such man-made interference is strictly prohibited in the sanctuary territorial jurisdiction in accordance with both state and centrally enacted laws, said environment activist Biswajit Mohanty.

Erecting earthen dykes, the prawn farms continue to pose artificial barrier to the inflow of tidal water. The water flow plugged by prawn dykes has led to the watery inundation in neighbouring crop fields. Besides, the use of chemicals in the dykes is causing considerable damage to flora and fauna in the region.

The administration had, in a response to a Right to Information (RTI) application, admitted that 377.76 acres of revenue land was encroached upon for illegal prawn farming in 19 human settlements within the sanctuary. Prawn dykes have sprouted up in revenue land at these villages coming under Rangani, Talchua, Righagarh and Gupti revenue circles.

The RTI reply pertained to three years ago. However, the authorities sat over the matter and have now woken up to dismantle the dykes.

Prawn dykes have come up in prohibited coastal regulation zone (CRZ) territory. Provisions of clauses CRZ, environment protection law, the Forest Conservation Act are being contravened. Besides influential land-grabbers and prawn mafia are infringing the Orissa Land Encroachment Act.

The revenue department is empowered to evict them and institute criminal cases against the encroachers and the forest officials are also empowered to demolish the dykes. However, both the agencies are silently watching and allowing the environment damaging prawn farming to flourish in eco-sensitive zones close to the national park.