Fishermen block Anchuthengu-Perumathura coastal road demanding desilting of Muthalapozhy harbour mouth

Fisherfolk sit-in at Anchuthengu-Perumathura coastal road.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Scores of local fishers blocked the arterial Anchuthengu-Perumathura coastal road, accusing the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government of endangering their lives and imperilling their livelihood by dragging its feet on periodically and sustainably dredging the Muthalapozhy harbour mouth. 

From 6 a.m., fishers and their families backed by the Latin Catholic Church and local Muslim Jama-at posted themselves on the road, declaring an indefinite sit-in protest until the government cleared the underwater sandbank that has turned the choppy sea at the Muthalapozhy estuary’s inlet into a death trap for seafaring fishers. 

Situated 26 km from the capital city, Muthalapozhi Harbour, located on the scenic coast where the Vamanapuram River meets the Arabian Sea, supports hundreds of traditional fisherfolk families, provides anchorage for a significant number of fishing boats, and is one of the leading fish landing centres in southern Kerala.

Valerian Isaac, a local activist, told The Hindu that local fishers were the victims of a vexed dispute between the government and Adani Port over who should desilt the harbour mouth to maintain a safe passage for fishing boats around the year. 

Mr Isaac said the sandbar had drastically reduced the harbour mouth’s depth. It triggered strong conflicting currents and eddies powerful enough to draw boats into their vortex. 

He said the government’s agreement with Adani Ports to desilt the harbour mouth expired last year, and the Harbour Engineering department had yet to make an alternate arrangement.

Several fishers die or are injured when their boats capsize at the harbour mouth annually. The loss of fishing gear and vessels has economically hobbled the local populace. 

According to government figures, at least 14 fishers died, and several were seriously injured in as many as 150 accidents at Muthalapozhi since 2022.

Ansar Perumathura, a resident, said the sandbank has now spanned the entire harbour mouth, making boat passage extremely hazardous.

He said the fishers were at their wit’s end. They had flagged the danger with authorities last December to no avail. The fishers feared navigating the harbour mouth would get more perilous with the monsoon’s arrival. 

Meanwhile, Fisheries Secretary Abdul Nassar addressed fishers at the protest site. He later informed reporters that the unavailability of dredgers had delayed the removal of the sandbank. The government has expeditiously commandeered one engaged in dredging operations at Chettuvel in Ernakulam district. The machine will begin desilting operations at Muthalapozhy by Tuesday at the latest. 

Mr Nassar said the government would soon deploy cutter suction dredgers at the harbour mouth as a sustainable solution to mitigating siltation. The central government had sanctioned ₹177 crores under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana for the proposal, and the State had started the tendering process.