Accidents occurred within 2 weeks of a central team visiting Muthalapozhi to probe the frequent mishaps that have killed 70 people.
Fishing boats being chased by the waves at the 'mouth of death' at Muthalapozhi Harbour. (Bennet John)
It’s locally known as the “mouth of death”, and the Muthalapozhi estuary in the Thiruvananthapuram district has been living up to its name, notching up one more accident on Monday, 31 July.
Two fishermen were injured when their boat capsized due to the high tides in the Muthalapozhi harbour on Monday morning.
This is the second accident in just the last couple of days — a boat with six people capsized on Saturday. Though all of them were rescued, two were critically injured.
The injured in Saturday’s accident, Babu and Christydas, were moved to a nearby hospital in a grievous condition. Christydas was later shifted to the Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram as his condition deteriorated.
“The latest accident was reported on Monday when two fishermen were injured while navigating the area — where the sea meets a river and a lake — in their vessel. It is similar to the incident incident that occurred two days ago in the same area,” police said.
The accidents occurred barely two weeks after a central team of experts visited Muthalapozhi following frequent boat accidents in the area.
On Monday, after the meeting with the Adani group, the developers of the Vizhinjam transhipment container terminal, the Kerala government instructed them to resume the dredging works at Muthalapozhi to remove rocks and sand from the harbour mouth.
This was a promise the corporate group made in an MoU with the state government when it was allowed to store quarried stone at the harbour for transporting to the Vizhinjam construction site. Though the group started dredging operations, it was later stopped.
State Fisheries Minister Saji Cheriyan, at a press conference in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram, also assured the fishermen that the operations of the port would not be stopped.
“The government will implement projects worth ₹11 crore in the harbour. Six high-mast lights will be installed and will also ensure the availability of three rescue boats and an ambulance,” the minister said.
“The Adani group has assured that the works to remove the sand and rocks will be started from tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. The dredging process may be delayed a bit due to adverse weather, but will begin soon after it becomes favourable,” added the minister.
According to official figures, the estuary has, in the past 10 years, witnessed 700 accidents that claimed 69 lives. Over 700 people were injured.
Before Saturday’s incident, four people were killed in a major mishap on 10 July. Following the incident, irate fishermen and their families, led by the Latin Catholic Church entered into a verbal spat with ministers V Sivankutty, Antony Raju and GR Anil, who visited the Muthalapozhi area.
Suresh Fernandez, 58, Biju Antony, 45, Robin Edwin, 42, and Kunhumon Cycil, 48, were the fishermen killed in the 10 July incident. While Cycil’s body was found the same day itself, the remaining bodies were recovered after 48 hours.
On 17 July, Fisheries Minister Cheriyan announced an ex gratia of ₹10 lakh each to the families of the four deceased fishermen. He also said that houses would be provided for the homeless, besides creating livelihood opportunities.
Debris of boats that met with accidents dot the area — a grim reminder of the deceptive waters at the sea mouth.
On 28 July, several unions of fishermen held a meeting to discuss a government proposal to temporarily stop fishermen from sailing through the channel leading from the Muthalapozhi Harbour to the sea given the recurring accidents.
The unions unanimously rejected the proposal to halt the usage of the channel until 5 September, when the sea would likely be calmer. The meeting concluded that unscientific construction of the harbour has been causing the accidents.
The meeting also decided to submit eight recommendations to the government to rectify the current situation at the harbour.
A central team of experts led by Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan visited the area on 17 July 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, 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.
After the state ministers’ meeting, Fisheries Minister Cherian told reporters that they decided on various steps for preventing boat accidents in the area.
The harbour, built in the early 2000s, was being used much before it was formally commissioned in 2020.
Muthalapozhi is some 40 km north of Vizhinjam, where the fishing communitgy launched 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.
District Collector Geromic George informed South First that 69 people were killed in the past 10 years. However, the local fishing community said the number of fatalities would cross three digits.
The fishermen have lost trust in the government. “We no longer trust any of the governments. They keep giving us false promises. We do not know how to proceed in the aftermath of the Vizhinjam struggle,” Valerian, an activist of the Kerala Swatantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation, said.
The frustration and disappointment were palpable as authorities have been repeatedly leaving fishermen with broken promises and a lack of meaningful action.
The Muthalapozhi Mini-Fishing Harbour has been a struggle for fisherfolk seeking safe and sustainable livelihoods. For decades, the concerns of the fishing and coir-dependent communities around Muthalapozhi have revolved around two critical issues: Fatal accidents during the monsoon season, and persistent waterlogging.
The latter issue was solved with the construction of the harbour. However, the issue of ensuring fishers’ safety and livelihoods remains unresolved.
(With PTI inputs)
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