THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Muthalapozhi harbour mouth had been a point of concern for fishermen for the last few years. Though the new harbour project was launched early this month, the dredging activities were stopped by mid-June due to equipment failure. In view of the recent incidents of boat capsizing, authorities confirm that dredging will resume within two weeks.
“An equipment part named spud, which holds the dredger firm to the seabed, was broken, and we are now looking for alternate options,” the harbour’s assistant executive engineer, Rakesh M S, told the TNIE. Mentioning that only high-end dredgers can withstand the waves here, he added that dredgers with heavy anchors cannot be used here as it will affect the entry of boats to the harbour.
“If everything goes right, we can start with the breakwater construction by mid-September and complete the project within a year,” he said.
However, local people are left in ambiguity as the permanent solution appears to take time.
“What is the purpose of our lives if we can’t do our jobs safely?” asked Valerian Isaac, leader of Kerala Swathanthra Matsya Thozhilali Federation. Terming that nearly 80% of the deaths here are taking place due to the sand settling beneath the waters, he said that the fishermen are facing this crisis at their peak business time.
“Authorities say that the new harbour will solve all our issues, but what about our lives till then?” asked a youngster from the area, who didn’t prefer to be named. He urged that some kind of temporary solution must be arranged for the fisherfolk till the harbour becomes a reality. However, the authorities term this ‘impractical’.
Officials claim that the issues escalated with the southern breakwater getting damaged during the Tautkae cyclone in May 2021. Close to 60 metres of the breakwater was ruptured, with its tetrapods getting submerged at the mouth of the harbour.
Compared to the waves from the north, southern waves are weaker, but they bring in sand. When the breakwater got damaged, the amount of sand inflow increased, causing additional issues. Even when dredging stopped, efforts were made to remove the submerged tetrapods, the assistant executive engineer said.
“Usually, the settled sand would’ve been washed away by water from the Kadinamkulam lake and the Vamanapuram river. However, the construction of checkdams across these water bodies has slowed this down,” another senior official from the harbour engineering department said.
All these issues will be resolved when the new harbour project becomes a reality, he said.
Casualties in Muthalapozhi
No. of deaths in the harbour mouth this year: 2
No. of deaths in the harbour mouth (since 2013): 35
No. of deaths in the harbour vicinity (since 2013): 76
(Source: Fisheries Department)