V.D. Satheesan
| Photo Credit: ANI
Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan said in the House on Tuesday that a comprehensive Muthalapozhi package will be implemented by the State government, including dredging and removing excess sand, measures to check sea erosion along the Anchuthengu coast as well as welfare measures for fishers.
He was replying to Ramya Haridas, MLA, who in a submission, had raised the issue of the rapid and alarming manner in which sea erosion was happening along the Anchuthengu coast, threatening the very existence of the fishing communities. She pointed out that the Anchuthengu issue and the death trap that Muthalapozhi breakwaters had become were two sides of the same coin.
Unscientific construction
Mr. Satheesan said that the unscientific construction of Muthalapozhi harbour’s breakwaters has altered the wave dynamics and the natural flow of sediments and perennial deposition of sand at the estuary’s inlet has significantly reduced the depth of the channel, leading to several navigational accidents. Apart from the lives lost, this has caused devastating erosion along the 5 km stretch to Anchuthengu, where the sea has taken almost all of the beaches and houses of fishers.
He said the Fisheries and Water Resources Ministers had visited the area and that some decisions had been taken at a recent high-level meeting. He said the sandbar at the mouth of the Muthalapozhi would be dredged and the sand removed without delay. The sea erosion along the Anchuthengu coast would be studied by experts and appropriate measures taken to protect the coast.
Financial assistance to fisherfolk whose lives were lost at Muthalapozhi, housing issues and a perennial solution to the drinking water supply problem would be part of the package that the government was planning, Mr. Satheesan said.
Published – June 30, 2026 07:43 pm IST