Field Visit to Pulicat Lake
On the morning of the seventeenth of September (2022), we - the students taking the Political Ecology, and Tools and Methods course - were led by Professor Bharat Sundaram on a field visit to the Pulicat lake viewpoints around the Sullurupeta region. We boarded the bus from the university and took a 30-35 kilometers ride to the Meezuru-Pulicat Lagoon Point. Along our way to the destination, we happened to cross a few villages. These villages seemed to be agri-cultural on account of the labored crop fields. The visibility of cattle and tractors around the village premises revealed the intersection of traditional and modern agricultural practices. A few things stood out in the observations of these villages. One of them is a statue of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar firmly established within the village space. During the discussions we had with Professor Bharat, we learned that these villages are resided mainly by people called ‘Dalits (members of lower caste)’. Perhaps, the Ambedkar statue that we saw is symbolic of the villager’s empowerment towards their own identity.
At Meezuru-Pulicat Lagoon Point, we had a closer look at Pulicat lake. The following pictures are a few snapshots of my observations:
The above image captures a model that was undertaken by a project, where walls were constructed around some parts of the lake in an attempt to procure freshwater by keeping the zone separate from the rest of the lake (which is purely brackish). However, as communicated by Professor Bharat, this was a failed project.
DISCUSSION
Here, let me share some key points that emerged from the discussion during the day:
As per the accounts given by Professor Bharat, there is a historical significance to Pulicat Lake and the settlements around it.
Earlier, there were not only settlements around the Sullurupeta region but also around the regions of Sriharikota. These settlements were mostly by tribals, which relied on Pulicat Lake for agricultural and fishing activities.
In October 1971, Satish Dhawan Space Center was established as a space research center in Sriharikota which inevitably led to the displacement of the tribal communities which existed prior to the establishment.
However, there are some settlements that still exist particularly in the northwest of Pulicat Lake - including the villages we spotted while crossing areas of Sullurupeta.
There was one more interesting thing that came out in our discussion. To summarize it better, perhaps the following maps would help:
I remember Professor Bharat highlighting the fact that the same Pulicat Lake is being used in a particular way by certain communities and quite differently by others.
For instance, the people living in the villages surrounding the Pulicat Lake region look at the lake as a source of their livelihood. The facilitation of irrigation in the fields is helped by the water availability on account of the lake nearby. The fishery is also enabled to some extent for people living nearby, and that dominates their dietary habits.
However, on the other hand, there are economic assets that have been established near Pulicat Lake such as the Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary - which is known as Pulicat Lake Wildlife Sanctuary internationally.
This shows a dual contrast where one community uses the lake for merely livelihood purposes while the other uses the same to procure profit or - as we learned about the capitalist conception of the environment - to have green consumption.
In my attempt to summarize the observations I had during the field trip, I have learned how the variety of lenses of understanding the environment- that which we explored during our Tools and Methods classes - rather influenced my observations during the field exploration. Just by going through what I have written till now, I am able to identify the lenses that enabled me to put forward my accounts. These lenses include the social-cultural, geological, historical, the economic aspects of the field. I am aware that my accounts could have been more nuanced and in detail, and that is something for me to learn. I am also curious to discover other lenses of looking at the field and thus would really like to read some of the accounts written by other students (from the Tools and Method course as well as the Political Ecology course). Eventually, I would like to thank Professor Bharat and the academic department for organizing this field trip and having us explore what we learn beyond the classroom.
At Meezuru-Pulicat Lagoon Point, we had a closer look at Pulicat lake. The following pictures are a few snapshots of my observations:
- The water of the lake is noted to be brackish to saline.
- There are visible trees and some bushes around the lake’s periphery.
- The sand is slightly dried in some parts of the lake and in others, there is some moisture in the sand perhaps due to the water currents.
The above image captures a model that was undertaken by a project, where walls were constructed around some parts of the lake in an attempt to procure freshwater by keeping the zone separate from the rest of the lake (which is purely brackish). However, as communicated by Professor Bharat, this was a failed project.
DISCUSSION
Here, let me share some key points that emerged from the discussion during the day:
As per the accounts given by Professor Bharat, there is a historical significance to Pulicat Lake and the settlements around it.
Earlier, there were not only settlements around the Sullurupeta region but also around the regions of Sriharikota. These settlements were mostly by tribals, which relied on Pulicat Lake for agricultural and fishing activities.
In October 1971, Satish Dhawan Space Center was established as a space research center in Sriharikota which inevitably led to the displacement of the tribal communities which existed prior to the establishment.
However, there are some settlements that still exist particularly in the northwest of Pulicat Lake - including the villages we spotted while crossing areas of Sullurupeta.
There was one more interesting thing that came out in our discussion. To summarize it better, perhaps the following maps would help:
I remember Professor Bharat highlighting the fact that the same Pulicat Lake is being used in a particular way by certain communities and quite differently by others.
For instance, the people living in the villages surrounding the Pulicat Lake region look at the lake as a source of their livelihood. The facilitation of irrigation in the fields is helped by the water availability on account of the lake nearby. The fishery is also enabled to some extent for people living nearby, and that dominates their dietary habits.
However, on the other hand, there are economic assets that have been established near Pulicat Lake such as the Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary - which is known as Pulicat Lake Wildlife Sanctuary internationally.
This shows a dual contrast where one community uses the lake for merely livelihood purposes while the other uses the same to procure profit or - as we learned about the capitalist conception of the environment - to have green consumption.
In my attempt to summarize the observations I had during the field trip, I have learned how the variety of lenses of understanding the environment- that which we explored during our Tools and Methods classes - rather influenced my observations during the field exploration. Just by going through what I have written till now, I am able to identify the lenses that enabled me to put forward my accounts. These lenses include the social-cultural, geological, historical, the economic aspects of the field. I am aware that my accounts could have been more nuanced and in detail, and that is something for me to learn. I am also curious to discover other lenses of looking at the field and thus would really like to read some of the accounts written by other students (from the Tools and Method course as well as the Political Ecology course). Eventually, I would like to thank Professor Bharat and the academic department for organizing this field trip and having us explore what we learn beyond the classroom.
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