The government will seek more assistance from the Centre to compensate the damage caused by coastal erosion and relocate fishermen to safer places, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.
Talking to reporters after a meeting of the State Cabinet here on Tuesday, he said the coastal communities affected by the swell waves over the last few days would be given assistance to repair their dwellings.
The Cabinet decided on a compensation of ₹4 lakh for houses left uninhabitable due to the flooding caused by the waves. An amount of ₹50,000 would be given for major repairs to damaged dwellings and ₹15,000 for repairs to kutcha houses.
Mr. Vijayan said the frequent erosion along the State’s coastline necessitated the relocation of fisherfolk from the vulnerable stretches. An amount of ₹10 lakh would be given for each family to shift to safer places. Simultaneously, efforts would be launched to protect the coast by constructing sea walls.
District Collectors would be asked to invoke the Disaster Management Act to procure big granite blocks from quarries and construction of tetrapods would be taken up to buttress sea walls.
NAVIC for fishermen
Fishing vessels putting out to sea from the Kerala coast will be equipped with satellite-based navigation devices from next month to ensure safety at sea.
Fisheries Minister J. Mercykutty Amma said here on Tuesday that NAVIC, India's own regional satellite navigation system, sets designed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and manufactured by Keltron would be ready for distribution to fishermen by the second week of May.
A press note quoting her said ISRO chairman K. Sivan had communicated the information to the government. The Minister said the NAVIC sets would incorporate a potential fishing zone advisory to help fishermen locate shoals and provide advance market information.
The NAVIC device uses India’s own regional satellite navigation system to warn fishermen about weather events. A master control room and six regional control rooms located in the coastal areas would disseminate information to fishermen in Malayalam through the NAVIC sets up to a distance of 1,500 km from the coast.
