A fishing boat that ventured into the sea with 16 fishermen on board on Thursday morning capsized due to strong estuarine waves at the treacherous Muthalapozhi harbour mouth in Thiruvananthapuram. All the fishermen were rescued by the local people.
Safety concerns
In the same place, four fishermen had died after a fishing boat overturned on July 10. This was followed by over half-a-dozen boat accidents in less than three weeks in the same place, raising serious concerns about the safety of those who go for deep sea fishing from the harbour during monsoon season.
In the latest incident, of the 16 fishermen rescued, six were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. The injured were identified as Savad, Sajeer, Ummer, Roobin, Kahar, and Sahad, all local residents. The huge deposition of sand brought by waves due to longshore drift from south to north makes the fishing channel shallow, resulting in wave breaking inside the channel and at its entrance.
Govt. takes steps
According to fishermen, as the channel become shallow, the waves go higher inside the channel, making manoeuvrability of fishing vessels difficult. Though the State government has begun steps to deepen the channel by dredging, in the wake of huge public protests, navigation of fishing vessels through the channel is an arduous task, say fishermen.
