Nearly a week after a boat capsized in the area that left four fishermen dead, a central team of experts visited the area.
Traditional fish workers have lost faith in the district administration's promises of safety at the harbour. (KA Shaji/South First)
Following the death of four fishermen in a boat accident last week at Muthalapozhi in Thiruvananthapuram, both the Centre and the Kerala government on Monday,17 July, stepped in to avoid such incidents in the area where the sea meets a river and a lake.
Raising concerns over frequent boat accidents occurring there, leading to the deaths of fishermen venturing out for fishing, the coastal community has been contending for some time that the area is dangerous for their vessels.
Nearly a week after a boat capsized in the area that left four fishermen dead, a central team of experts led by Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan visited the area in the morning to assess the situation and work out a solution for the problem of recurring boat accidents in the coastal area close to the fishing harbour.
While the central team visited the area, a ministerial-level meeting was held in the state Secretariat by Kerala ministers Saji Cherian, GR Anil, V Sivankutty and Antony Raju on the same issue.
Speaking to reporters after visually assessing the area at Muthalapozhi, Union Minister Muraleedharan said the experts have studied and researched the problems facing the people there and will hear their views and suggestions on how to remedy the situation.
“The expert team will also hear the suggestions of the state government and thereafter come up with a permanent solution, including the redevelopment of the harbour area,” he said.
The Union Minister also welcomed the minister-level meeting being held by the state government in connection with the frequent boat accidents at Muthalapozhi.
After the state ministers’ meeting, Fisheries Minister Cherian told reporters that they decided on various steps for preventing boat accidents in the area and also on taking care of the families of the four deceased fishermen.
On the issue of preventing accidents, the minister said Adani Group — with which the government has a contract to dredge the fishing harbour area — would be asked to increase the depth of the channel and basin, as provided under the agreement, by removing rocks and sand deposited there.
Broken promises and years of neglect have made fishermen community to stare at a dark future. (KA Shaji/South First)
Cherian said that while Adani had carried out dredging, it was completed only up to 70 percent.
“Steps will be taken to ensure it is 100 percent completed. For that, we will be holding discussions with officials of Adani,” he said.
The minister also said that a permanent mechanism would be put in place to prevent sand deposition in the approach channel to the harbour.
“For that, a sand bypassing system would be implemented. Under that system, the sand would be pumped away to prevent it from being deposited in the channel. It is expected to cost around ₹10 crore. We will float a tender for the same as soon as the prevailing bad weather blows over,” he said.
Besides that, lights would be installed in the area to improve visibility and ensure better navigation.
Regarding the families of the four deceased fishermen, the minister said ₹10 lakh will be given to them and in addition to that homes would be built for those who do not have houses and a source of livelihood would also be created for them.
Apart from that, the government will also explore how to waive off the loans the families had taken and are yet to be paid off, Cherian said.
The minister said the Left Front government has always worked for the interests of the fishermen and the coastal area communities, unlike the UDF, which allegedly did nothing for them when they were in power.
He also alleged that the Opposition UDF was presently only interested in foisting the blame on someone and was trying to leverage the issue in the area for political gains.
A political row had erupted in the state last week over the boat accident at Muthalapozhi that claimed four lives, with the ruling CPI(M) and the opposition Congress accusing each other of trying to create tension in the coastal area.
Of the four fishermen on the boat that capsized on 10 July, one of them was found dead hours after the accident and the bodies of the remaining three were recovered by the following evening.
The primary focus should be on securing the safety and security of fishers. (KA Shaji/South First)
According to Father Eugene Pereira, the Vicar General of the Latin Archdiocese, it was the 10th such accident in the area this year alone.
The locals accuse the government and officials of hiding many cases to sweep under the rug the possible concerns that might be raised by civil society on knowing about the frightening situation there.
Members of the fishing community said they have no livelihood option other than ignoring the threats and continuing fishing, despite the risk involved in taking their boats out in Muthalapozhi.
Muthalapozhi is about 40 km from Vizhinjam, where fish workers started a movement some months ago against corporate major Adani Group’s mega seaport project, saying it would ruin their livelihood.
The Kerala government suppressed that agitation with the support of all political formations across the spectrum.
The fish workers in Muthalapozhi are also waging a losing war against a governmental system that pays scant regard to their concerns.
Asked about the total number of casualties in accidents involving fishing boats in the Muthalapozhi harbour, District Collector Geromic George informed South First that the official figure was 69 in the past 10 years — since the breakwaters became operational. Over 700 others were seriously injured when boats capsized at the mouth of the harbour.
Coastal erosion near Anjengo has become worse since a fishing harbour was built at the Muthalapozhi estuary in Thiruvananthapuram district (KA Shaji/South First)
But the local fishing community told South First the number of people who died in recurring boat accidents at Muthalapozhi has crossed three digits.
Officially declared as completed in 2020, the Muthalapozhi fishing harbour is now synonymous with recurring deaths and official apathy.
The people there call the estuary the “mouth of death”. Whenever the sea turns rough in the heavy monsoons, the waves become monstrous, rise to dangerous heights, and crash instantly. That process pulls the boats to the rocky edges of the backwaters.
The fish workers here confess that the demand to construct an all-weather fishing harbour facilitating the profession even in the rainy season emanated from their ranks. The area witnessed several agitations in this regard.
The technical know-how for the project was given by the Ocean Engineering Department of IIT Chennai, and Kerala’s Harbour Engineering Department took responsibility for the construction.
By 2005, several modifications were incorporated into the original project, and people now allege that these finally turned fatal for the fishing community.
(With PTI inputs)
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