The Chellanam-Kochi Janakiya Vedhi have said that residents of the coastal panchayat must intensify their demand to complete works to protect the entire segment of the coast between Chellanam and Fort Kochi.
Though the first phase of the coastal protection works using concrete tetrapods was meant to cover about 10 km, it has covered only 7.32 km up to Puthenthode. It was initially promised that work in the remaining portion would be taken up immediately, but it had not happened so far, said Janakiya Vedhi spokesman. At the same time, recent incidents of sea incursion in Kannamaly and its northern segment have come as a warning ahead of the monsoon season.
The Janakiya Vedhi had launched a relay protest action on October 28, 2019, demanding that the entire segment of the coast between Chellanam and Fort Kochi should come under protection and that rehabilitation was not an answer to the problems facing the coastal residents. As a result of the protest, coastal protection works worth ₹344 crore had been initiated in Chellanam.
The Janakiya Vedhi spokesman added it was time to intensify the protest to see that the entire segment of the coast was protected as soon as possible even as the authorities’ promise to complete the works was not backed by action at the ground level.
The most immediate requirement is that the segment of the coast lying immediately north of Puthenthode should be fortified. At the same time, geotextile bags filled with sand available at the Chellanam fisheries harbour area should be used as a bulwark against sea erosion in the rains. The granite stones that are left from the damaged portion of seawalls can be utilised to strengthen the geotextile tube walls.
The Janakiya Vedhi also reiterated its demand that the material dredged from the shipping channel should be deposited in the coastal waters between Puthenthode and Saudi to help accretion and lessen the impact of heavy waves.
