THOOTHUKUDI: The salt industry in Thoothukudi is in a state of disarray as unexpected rains, nearly three spells in two and a half months, have hampered the salt manufacturing process. Even as the Thoothukudi region is well-known for the salt pans, located along the coastline, the unprecedented rains and subsequent floods in December have already disfigured the salt pans stretching between Vembar and Kulasekarapattinam in the district.
Meanwhile, salt pan owners are left in the lurch as several tonnes of salt, stocked in the open yards, were washed away during the unprecedented rains. Even before they could recover from the financial and material losses, the sporadic rains are rubbing salt in their wounds.
Work at these salt pans usually lasts for eight months, from February to September, when the heat is conducive for the water to evaporate in the evaporation ponds, leaving behind just the white crystals.
“We recently revamped each evaporation pan, which cost us several lakhs, as the clay beds of the pans had been washed away during the floods. Before we could get some decent yield, another spell of rain has hampered the salt production,” said Peter, a salt pan owner.
Salt pan owners, who are puzzled by the sporadic rains during the hot summers, say there have been some serious changes in the region’s climate.
A salt producer said they could not achieve full production until now, even though the season began in March, due to the rain damage.
Another salt pan owner rued that they are yet to get the good quality of crystal salts. "The crystal salt of whitish colour is considered to be of premium quality. However, we cannot achieve this due to the consecutive rains," he said.
During rain, the run-off water enters the evaporation ponds and leads to the formation of sludge. "The muddy waters destroy salt formation and eventually affect the quality of salts as well," he added.
According to salt pan owners, operations peak during the summer and the yield increases in proportion to the degree of sodium chloride’s presence. Usually, the salt is deposited when the amount of sodium chloride in the brine reaches 23-27º on the Baumé hydrometer. Pan operators scrap the salt pan once every 14 days, while some engage in scrapping every seven days, given that the brine and the heat are as expected.
A manager of a salt manufacturing unit, based at Kovangadu, told TNIE, “An acre of salt pan is expected to yield approximately 8 tonnes of crystal salt in a month. However, this year around, the salt production would dip by at least 60%," he added.
Another salt pan owner from Tharuvaikulam said that when rainwater enters evaporation ponds, it eats up at least two weeks, before which the pans can be brought back to yielding condition. Besides, the repair costs and the labour costs add up. Rain also delays the scooping up of good quality crystal salt by a month, given that the sun shines well, he added.
Meanwhile, salt pan workers said they have lost their jobs. "We can work only for three days a week because of the intermittent rains. We may not get sufficient remuneration this season to sustain our family," said a salt pan worker.
Currently, salt pan owners do not have adequate stocks for trade as they could not reap the full potential of the yields since March this year. "The price of salt has stabilised at Rs 4,000 to Rs 4,500 per tonne because of the inflow of salt from other regions. Otherwise the price would have gone beyond Rs 5,000 per tonne, driven by the high demand and shortage of stock," said Sam, a salt pan firm owner.
Despite being a leading salt manufacturing district and a major contributor to the domestic crystal salt market in the country, the climatic changes have given an upper hand to suppliers from Gujarat and other states to cash in, rued salt manufacturers.