The Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) has been completed for the proposed expansion and renovation of the Machilipatnam fishing harbour with a fleet size of 550 vessels and other navigational facilities.
WAPCOs Limited under the Ministry of Water Resource has prepared the report for the ₹252-crore project proposed by the Andhra Pradesh State government’s Fisheries Department, addressing the logistic impediments at the existing harbour in the Gilakaladindi area of the town.
The second stage development of the harbour would develop the fleet size of the 550 fishing vessels (300 vessels of 10 m length, 200 vessels of 15m length and 15m length boats with trawler-gill nets and 50 vessels of 24m length of tuna long liners). The existing harbour barely has the landing capacity of 350 vessels, resulting in overcrowding. The harbour was commissioned in 2008. The second phase development of the harbour would help to register the fish landing capacity of 23,500 tonnes per year.
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“Construction of training walls, development of 13.181 square metre area for landing and navigational aids are a few waterside developments. However, the dredging of 1.04 lakh cubic metres of sand has been proposed at the creek mouth at the existing harbour, facilitating easy navigation for the vessels,” according to the report.
Public hearing on Aug. 10
“The Central Institute of Coastal Engineering for Fishery, Bengaluru, has carried out the necessary engineering investigations, including hydrographic and topographic surveys, between 2016 and early 2017 in different seasons.
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The Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board will conduct the environmental public hearing on the proposed development of the fishing harbour at the harbour on August 10. District Revenue authorities and environmental engineers will conduct the public hearing,”Joint Director of Fisheries Yakub Basha told The Hindu .