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Kerala / The New Indian Express

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Construction of breakwater at Muthalapozhi harbour gains pace

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The construction of breakwater as part of the Muthalapozhi harbour development project is progressing rapidly in Thiruvananthapuram. The `177-crore project, approved by the Union government under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), was launched in May this year with an aim to prevent the recurring accidents at the harbour mouth. According to the harbour engineering department, the casting of tetrapods for the breakwater is moving at a steady pace, and around 25m of the proposed 425m structure have already been completed. However, fishermen have expressed dissatisfaction over the halted dredging activities. A senior official of the department told TNIE that the plan is to complete at least 300m of the breakwater before May. The weather is favourable, and the government has decided to execute the work without further delay. The only major challenge is sourcing rubble for the breakwater. Around six lakh tonnes of rubble are required, and frequent quarrying bans imposed across the state during rough weather are slowing procurement. If everything goes to plan, we are hopeful of completing the project within the deadline, the official said. Located at the meeting point of Vamanapuram river and the Arabian Sea, Muthalapozhi is a hub for large-scale fishing activities in the district. As many as 160 large fishing vessels and about 400 small ones operate out of the harbour offering livelihood to 20,000 people. However, over 70 lives have perished in the area in the past eight years. As per the study conducted by the Central Water and Power Research Station, extending the breakwater is the only solution to mitigate the impact of the unscientific breakwater at the harbour, which is cited as the cause for growing accidents at the harbour mouth. However, the harbour department has failed to carry out dredging activities in a full fledged manner despite the launch of the project. Sajeev Salahudeen, vice-chairman of the Muthalapozhi Avakasa Samrakshana Samithi, alleged that the dredger brought from Azheekal in May for large-scale dredging is lying idle. Right now, the sea is not rough and the fishermen are able to venture into the sea without encountering major accidents. But things will get worse after a few months. We have been following this up with the authorities repeatedly who have been assuring us that dredging will begin immediately. However, nothing is happening on the ground. We are unable to protest because this is the only time of the year when we are able to go fishing in the sea. Else our families will starve, he said. Meanwhile, the harbour department officials said that dredging is not being carried out owing to the rough weather conditions. The dredger is fully functional and the sand bar at the harbour mouth needs to be removed. We attempted to do this work last week but couldnt risk doing it due to the rough sea alert. The machinery is very expensive and we are scared that the dredger will drift off into the sea and we wouldnt be able to recover it. We will launch the work immediately. The weather is favourable until mid-May, said the official. Besides the breakwater construction, the project also proposes technological, mechanical and electrical upgradation at the harbour. The construction of the toilet block which is part of the project is already underway and once the elections are over we will float the rest of the tenders. Around 9 tenders will be invited for various works including renovation of wharf, auction hall and other auxiliary structures, said the official.

2 Dec 2025 9:23 am