The placing of tetrapods to protect the Chellanam coast from sea erosion has begun in right earnest, despite residents’ apprehension that the casting and installation of the concrete structures might be delayed.
Sources close to the project said that the placing of tetrapods had begun in three segments — Chellanam fishing harbour, Bazaar, and Kandakkadavu. Deployment in the Companypady segment has just commenced. A total of 1,450 tetrapods are now in place in two segments of the coast, while 5,920 tetrapods weighing two tonnes each and 2,400 tetrapods of 3.5 tonnes each have already been cast.
The deployment of tetrapods is part of the ₹344-crore project. Nearly 7 km of the most vulnerable segment of the coast will come under tetrapod protection in the first phase of the project. Groynes are also expected to be built during the second phase of the coastal protection work.
A total of 1.25 lakh tetrapods of the two weight categories will be required to cover the first phase of the coastal segment between the Chellanam mini fishing harbour and Kannamaly.
The Chellanam coast, which was hit hard by cyclone Okhi in December 2017, is among the most vulnerable of the 10 coastal segments identified by the State government. The concrete cast tetrapods are being deployed, as the availability of granite boulders of the required size has considerably decreased, delaying both repair of sea walls and fresh work.
