Work to erect tetrapod seawall along the nearly 7-km coastal segment between Chellanam fishing harbour and Puthenthode fishing gap near Kannamaly being completed, the authorities have decided to deploy geobag seawall along the coast of Kannamaly, Cheriakadavu, and Kattiparambu as a temporary measure to tide over possible flooding of the coast during the coming monsoon season.
Sources said that the works would have been completed about three months ago had it not been for the severe shortage of stone. The monthly supply of stone had dwindled to 10 to 12 loads in place of the required 60 to 70 loads forcing the work to slow down considerably. Along with the completion of tetrapod deployment, three groynes, out of a total of six, too have been completed.
The work has been carried out at a cost of approximately ₹344 crore. Bids for completion of tetrapod seawall erection along the remaining portion of the Chellanam coast will be invited later. In the meanwhile, Chellanam Janakiya Vedhi, a forum of people in the coastal village, has reiterated its demand that the work for coastal protection should cover the entire segment between Chellanam and Fort Kochi.
Considering the work done at Chellanam to contain sea erosion, the government is considering deploying tetrapods at other sea erosion hotspots along the coasts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Alappuzha districts.
Work on erection of geo sandbags along the Kannamaly, Cheriakadavu and Kattiparambu coast is expected to begin soon. A communication from the district administration here said that the decision has been taken at a meeting convened to review the preparedness of the district for the upcoming rainy season.
Fund for the geo sandbag seawall will come from the disaster management fund and ₹14 lakh will be utilised for the purpose. The geo sand bag walls will cover three wards for a total distance of 420 metres. While these measures are expected to keep any major issues at bay, Asha workers have been asked to visit homes to create awareness. The operations of the Haritha Karma Sena, now confined to 24% homes in the panchayat, will be expanded to include more homes.
