Say no to JSW’s deepwater port in Keni!

Please Wait....

Mail

If you are a human, ignore this field

Form to send email

To:

The Chairman, Expert Appraisal Commitee Infra-1

Member Secretary, KSPCB

204 OBJECTIONS SENT AS OF AUGUST 14, 2025

The lives, livelihoods and ecology of Keni, a coastal village in North Karnataka, are being threatened by a new all-weather, deep-water port by JSW Infrastructure, with a planned cargo capacity of 92 MMTPA over 780 acres.

The deep-water port project, slated to cost approximately Rs 4,000 crore, is expected to handle coal, steel and coke cargo for industries in Maharashtra and Karnataka. Interestingly, there has been no increase in demand for imports or exports signalling the requirement of a new port.. Data received by Mongabay India in an RTI response, in 2023, revealed that two ports in the state have faced a decline in business, while three other ports – including Belekeni which lies right next to Keni – have not handled cargo since the last 7 years! The need for a new port, therefore, needs to be considered carefully and critically in light of this data.

The proposed port comes with grave socio-economic and ecological implications, including air and water pollution. The draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) released is incomplete. It omits key ecological and socio-economic impacts, and fails to provide adequate mitigation measures, thereby violating the EIA Notification, 2006. The report lacks clarity on the sourcing of large quantities of granite and sand required for construction, raising the risk of illegal quarrying in the Western Ghats and unsustainable sand mining.

Keni is significantly rich in marine and freshwater species. The construction of the port will require land to be reclaimed from the sea – the entire beach will be effectively wiped out and the corals will suffocate! It will destroy the marine ecosystem in the region.
The construction process will entail installing breakwaters, which are structures that are installed to protect shorelines and dredging, both of which will cause irreversible damage to the ecosystem of the region and snatch the livelihoods of the fisher community.

The Keni-Bhavikeri coast is a productive inshore ecosystem that sustains about 3,000 people. The proposed reclamation will directly displace over 1,500 fisherfolk, destroy fishing infrastructure, and undermine the cultural heritage tied to the coastline for generations. The future of the fishing community remains bleak. Pushing them further deeper into the sea could land them into legal hurdles or community scuffles.

While residents have been vocal about their demands to oppose the port in this region, their pleas have been silenced. The area earmarked for the construction is now under constant supervision by the police, who often station themselves at the site.

We are respectfully urging authorities to consider the following:

Reject the present draft EIA in its current form
Conduct fresh, year-round, peer-reviewed ecological and socio-economic studies of the region and the communities dependent on it
Hold a new public hearing with Kannada summary available for 30+ days
Include an analysis of fisheries, turtle nesting, mangroves and erosion

We have until August 22, 2025 to express our opposition to the proposed port. A public consultation will be held on August 22, 2025. Kindly send in your objections to this ill-conceived project and protect over 1500 fisherfolk from being displaced. The rights and livelihoods of traditional coastal communities must be protected! Ecological destruction must not be the price we pay for ill-planned development.

Sources:
https://india.mongabay.com/2025/05/new-port-project-sparks-protests/

Subject (required):

Dear (cc ),

Email body

Reference: File No. 10/32/2024-IA.III

“Development of All–Weather Multi–Cargo Greenfield Deepwater Port for cargo handling capacity of 92 MMTPA in an area of about 780 Acres (approx. 457 Acres for foreshore facilities through reclamation, 309 Acres for cargo storage at a distance of about 5 km from port area) and 116 Acres outside the port premises for road, rail and pipeline corridor near Ankola, Dist. Uttara Kannada, Karnataka by M/s JSW Keni Port Pvt. Ltd”

Respected Sir/Madam,

This submission is made with an attempt to register our collective objections to the draft EIA report in English and Executive Summary in Kannada made available on the website of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) from 23rd July 2025.

These submissions ought to be considered as our collective written objections under the Public Consultation process mandated under the EIA Notification, 2006.

The critique to the draft EIA report for JSW-Keni port are as follows:
A.	On sourcing construction material:
·   	Construction of berths, breakwaters requires a huge quantity of granite stones. Quarrying in Western Ghats is prohibited. From where the huge quantity of stones is brought is not mentioned. It is left to contractors. This may lead to huge illegal quarrying and black marketing that may harm the environment.
·   	A large quantity of sand is required for construction work. Entire coastal Uttara Kannada has very heavy demand for sand and sand mining in estuary is not permitted as per CRZ notification. Where will the sand come from? It is mentioned that contractors provide construction materials! Another serious environmental impact is in the offing.
B.	On dusty cargo and pollution
·   	The list of goods shows Coal and Iron ore as the most important cargo and both of them are highly polluting. Air and water pollution was witnessed in and around Belekeri and along the Ankola - Hubli National Highway during the exercise of Iron ore export. The quantity proposed in the present project is much higher and also the pollution level will be much greater. The remedial measures proposed are vague.
C.	On impact on fisheries
·   	The Ankola coast, particularly the Keni-Bhavikeri shoreline, is ecologically and economically significant due to its unique topography and a continuous, gradually sloping water body that remains calm with minimal wave action during the post-monsoon period. This has historically made it one of the most productive traditional fishing grounds in the region. The area was once renowned for Rampani operations, a collective fishing practice where over 300 people would work together to haul in shoals of mackerels and sardines.
·   	Recognising the rich fishing activity in the area, the Government of Karnataka established the state’s first Fisheries High School in Keni in 1962, to promote traditional fishing livelihoods. Yet, the EIA report of the proposed project fails to acknowledge this thriving fishery and the generations of fishermen who continue to depend on it.
·   	Even today, a wide array of traditional fishing practices—Endy Bale, Beesu Bale, Kai Rampani, Ele Bale, drag nets, disco nets, and cast nets—are carried out throughout the year. These are operated from the shoreline using approximately 300 traditional fishing boats, originally out-trigger dugout canoes, now replaced with FRP (fibre-reinforced plastic) boats. These boats are used exclusively in the inshore waters and are currently parked on sand dunes above the High Tide Line (HTL), precisely in the 457-acre area proposed for reclamation under the project.
·   	The proposed sea reclamation would directly displace the fishing activities and livelihood of more than 1,500 fisher folk (approximately 300 families with 5 members each). Many of their houses, built on the levelled sand dunes, are not officially documented, making them especially vulnerable to displacement without recognition or compensation.
·   	The fisheries sector here is not limited to fishing alone—it supports a larger economic ecosystem involving boat repair, gear management, fish drying, transport, storage, processing, and marketing. In total, nearly 3,000 individuals derive their primary livelihood from this fishery, excluding the thousands of consumers who depend on this catch.
·   	Yet, despite this economic and cultural significance, the EIA makes no mention of this traditional fishery or its stakeholders, thereby overlooking critical impacts on local livelihoods and food security.
D.	Impact on Olive Ridley Turtle Nesting
·   	All beaches along the Uttara Kannada coast have recorded instances of turtle nesting, particularly by Olive Ridley turtles, a Schedule I species under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. These turtles prefer gently sloping beaches, which are characteristic of this coastline. The proposed dredging and reclamation activities will significantly alter the natural beach profile and sediment dynamics, thereby disrupting critical nesting habitats. Such large-scale coastal modification poses a serious threat to the survival of this protected species, and the EIA fails to adequately assess or address these ecological risks.
E.  Risk of Coastal Erosion
·   	There is a serious and credible threat of coastal erosion following the construction of the proposed port infrastructure. The Keni-Bhavikeri shoreline has already been experiencing visible erosion, and the EIA report fails to make any mention of this ongoing issue or assess the potential for erosion intensification due to the proposed development.
·   	Past experiences, such as the construction of breakwaters for the Naval Base and Karwar Port, have shown that large-scale coastal interventions can severely disrupt natural sediment flow. As a result, the Karwar coast witnessed widespread erosion stretching from Karwar to Majali, with Devbag experiencing the worst impact. A similar pattern is highly likely along the stretch from Gokarna to Amadalli if this project proceeds without proper planning.
·   	It is therefore essential that a comprehensive study of annual coastal currents, sediment transport, and wind flow patterns be conducted to assess potential erosion zones and recommend preventive and mitigation measures. The absence of such a critical analysis in the current EIA is a major oversight that puts both the coastal ecology and local communities at risk.
F.   Ecological Significance of Keni Halla and Mangroves
·   	Approximately one kilometre from the proposed project site lies Keni Halla, a creek that originates in the Western Ghats and flows into the sea through a rich estuarine zone. This waterbody supports a thriving ecosystem, including dense mangrove patches, which play a vital role in nutrient cycling, shoreline protection, and sustaining plankton-rich waters that contribute directly to the rich fisheries along the Keni coast.
·   	During tidal flows, Keni Halla carries nutrients from the Western Ghats to the sea, creating a productive marine environment that supports high fish diversity and sustains traditional fishing practices. The mangrove ecosystem is also a known breeding and nursery ground for several fish and shellfish species.
·   	However, the EIA report fails to mention the presence of Keni Halla and the mangroves in its vicinity, overlooking the ecological interconnectivity and potential irreversible damage that dredging and reclamation could cause to this delicate coastal and estuarine ecosystem.
G.   Impacts of Dredging and Reclamation on Marine Ecology
·   	The proposed dredging area spans approximately 12 sq. kilometres, a scale that demands core sampling and nutrient profiling of the seabed. This region is ecologically significant during the monsoon upwelling, nutrient-rich sediments from the seabed rise to the surface, supporting the growth of plankton and benthos, which in turn sustain the local fishery. Large-scale dredging and reclamation will irreversibly disrupt this nutrient cycle, permanently depriving the marine ecosystem and dependent fishing communities of these critical ecological services.

·   	Furthermore, the immediate impacts of dredging and reclamation including increased turbidity, reduction in dissolved oxygen (DO) levels, and release of chemical gases pose a direct threat to benthic organisms and other marine life within the area. Despite these foreseeable impacts, the EIA report makes no mention of ecological damage valuation or the cost of compensation for affected communities. This lack of environmental and economic accountability is a serious omission in the project’s assessment.

In light of the above, it is evident that the draft EIA report for the proposed JSW Keni Port suffers from serious deficiencies in baseline data, impact assessment, and mitigation planning. Critical aspects of local ecology, fisheries-dependent livelihoods, protected species habitats, and coastal geomorphology have either been inadequately studied or entirely omitted.

The absence of detailed sourcing plans for construction material, the vague treatment of pollution control measures, the failure to acknowledge and assess the impacts on a thriving traditional fishery supporting thousands of people, and the omission of sensitive ecological features such as Olive Ridley turtle nesting beaches, mangroves, and nutrient-rich upwelling zones represent not only lapses in scientific rigour but also violations of the spirit of the EIA Notification, 2006, which mandates comprehensive, transparent, and participatory environmental decision-making.

Proceeding with the project in the absence of these critical assessments risks irreversible ecological degradation and the displacement of long-standing fishing communities whose cultural and economic survival is tied to the Keni-Bhavikeri coastline.

We therefore urge the Expert Appraisal Committee (Infra-1) and the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board to:
·   	Reject the present draft EIA in its current form and direct the project proponent to undertake fresh, season-long, and scientifically robust studies on all the ecological and socio-economic parameters outlined above.
·   	Ensure that the revised EIA includes a comprehensive impact assessment on fisheries, turtle nesting habitats, mangroves, and erosion patterns, supported by peer-reviewed scientific data.
·   	Conduct a fresh public hearing only after the revised EIA (with a Kannada executive summary) has been made available to all affected communities for at least 30 days, as per Appendix IV of the EIA Notification, 2006.
Only through such due diligence can the process uphold the constitutional rights of the affected communities, safeguard Karnataka’s coastal ecology, and ensure compliance with national environmental law.
 
Thanking You

You're sending this email as Not you? Click here

First name:

Last name:

Your email address (required):

Recipients will receive your name, email address and address. Your personal information will be kept private and held securely. By submitting information you are agreeing to Jhatkaa keeping you informed about campaigns and agree to the use of cookies in accordance with our privacy policy

First line of address (required):

Town (required):

Pincode (required):

Skip this step

Thanks for sending an email!