Paradip: Green activists have blamed prawn farming on the outskirts of the port town for being the constant source of water and air pollution.

"Despite ample scope of ra-ising a green barrier along the Mahanadi deltaic region near Paradip, unauthorised prawn farms have come up in the wetlands, which are otherwise ideal for the growth of mangrove and other species," said green activist Ayashkant Ray.

These unauthorised prawn dykes not only pose a stumbling block in unhindered flow of natural water-bodies, but are also hazardous for aquatic animals because of the rampant use of chemicals.

"There has been a drop in fish yield due to such unauthorised activities," he observed.

Among others, Ray pointed at the wetland sites at Lockpada, Sandhakuda and Ath-arabanki and areas close to Paradip Phosphates Limited fertiliser plants as locations for illegal prawn farming.

"Water pollution caused by illegal dykes has come to our notice. We have taken up the matter with revenue authorities," said Odisha State Pollution Control Board's regional officer Mukesh Mahaling.

The tail-end of the Mahanadi river system meanders through the outskirts of the town before meeting with the sea and flows through numerous creeks, water inlets and nullahs. The water-bodies traversing near Atharabanki are marked by a judicious mixture of sweet and saline waters as there is frequent ingress of tidal waves. It proves conducive for shrimp farming.

"We have been undertaking drives to dismantle the dykes regularly. Shortly, the tehsil administration will renew the drive to demolish the illegal dykes," said Kujang tehsildar Basudeb Satpathy.