The Cochin Port Trust (CPT)must end the business of selling sand from the material dredged out of the port shipping channel, and deposit the dredged material along the Chellanam coast to help beach accretion and reduce the depth of the nearshore waters, said Chellanam Kochi Janakiya Vedhi, a combine of people in the coastal village demanding comprehensive steps to protect the coastal segment between Chellanam and Fort Kochi.
A statement issued by V.T. Sebastian of the Janakiya Vedhi said the Cochin Port authorities themselves had admitted to having sold sand from dredged materials worth ₹12 crore between April and December period.
The money earned from selling sand is the reward for dumping the people of Chellanam at the doors of a disaster, and the political leadership and people’s representatives must intervene in the matter, said the appeal by Mariamma George Kurisinkal and Joseph Jayan Kunnel, leaders of the Janakiya Vedhi here.
The Janakiya Vedhi alleged that frequent sea incursion, sea erosion and loss of coast were due to the constant dredging of the Cochin channel to maintain the depth for shipping operations. It has also been established by scientific studies, said Mr. Sebastian.
The Vedhi leaders also said the Cochin Port Trust now spends ₹120 crore to ₹150 crore a year on maintenance dredging of the channel.
The accumulation of materials in the shipping channel can be prevented by establishing a breakwater towards the west of the sea mouth using geotextile bags. However, the port authority has not been responding to the suggestion, alleged the forum.
The issue of depositing the dredged material from the shipping channel along the Chellanam coast has been a long-standing demand. It has been raised again because the Janakiya Vedhi leaders feel that it would be the most effective measure to prevent sea erosion immediately. The demand is being raised even as work to cast tetrapods is progressing in Chellanam for building seawalls.
