Muthalapozhi fishers restive over the slow progress in desilting the harbour mouth

Congress workers protest outside the residence of Minister Saji Cherian in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday raising the insufficient dredging issue that leads to Breakwater Channel block for fishermen in the port of Muthalappozhi. | Photo credit: special arrangement

The Fisherfolk community in the port of Muthalapozhi seemed disturbing about the supposed slow progress in the dredging of the submerged sand bar, which has made the sea at the entrance of the estuary be dangerous for fishing boats and its crew.

The activists of the Congress of the Indian National Union (Intu) supported by Congress protested in the port on Tuesday citing the loss of days of work and the persistent threat to marine fishermen acadurated by the “failure” of the Government to Expedites.

Police prevented another group of Intuc activists from assaulting the official residence of the Saji Cherian Fishing Minister in the city.

The Secretary of the District of INTIC, VR Pratapan, said that the fishermen would transfer their protest to the minister’s residence and the Secretariat if the Government does not guarantee the security of the port for the coastal community. He said the situation could be more dangerous for fishermen with the advent of the southwest monzón in June.

The local Church and Muslim Jama-At have expressed solidarity with the cause of fishermen.

The port of Muthalapozhi, located on the picturesque coast, where the Vamanapuram river meets the Arabic sea, supports hundreds of traditional fishermen families, provides anchor for a significant number of fishing boats and is one of the main fish. The port is about 26 km from the city.

The fishermen complain that the sand bank drastically reduced the depth of the mouth of the port, causing strong currents and conflicting swirls powerful enough to attract boats to its vortex.

Fishermen deaths

According to government figures, at least 14 fishermen died, and several were seriously injured in up to 150 accidents in Muthalapozhi from 2022. Lakhs of fishing equipment rupees, including boats and networks, they were also lost in the sea.

Mr. Saji Cherian has summoned a meeting of interested parties in his official chamber in the Secretariat to mitigate the threat to fishermen.

Fishermen want more dredges to triple the amount of sand eliminated daily by the company hired by the government to disappoint the mouth of the port.

The Government has quickly commanded a dredging dredging in Chettuva in Thrissur for the operation. He also contemplated the deployment of the sucking of the cutters in the port of La Boca as a sustainable solution to mitigate the silence.

The Government of the Union had sanctioned ₹ 177 million rupees under Pradhan Mantri Matssya Sampada Yojana for the proposal, and the State had begun the tenure process.