Kochi: Greens are up in arms against the Cochin Port Trust's outer harbour project which proposes reclamation of 3250 acres of the sea off the Kochi coast. They say that the project will have a serious impact on the environment and is in violation of rules.
At 21 million cubic metres per year, Cochin Port has the highest siltation among Indian ports, necessitating year-round maintenance by dredging, the CPT notes while proposing the project. A study by a Mumbai-based consultancy for preparing a feasibility report of the outer harbour project said that if two breakwaters were constructed, there would be an accretion to the coastline in 10 years.
It would also reduce siltation in the inner harbour from about 21 million cubic metres to 12 million cubic metres. Once the breakwaters are in place, it is technically feasible to develop an outer harbour for the Cochin Port, the study notes.
The Indian Navy has evinced interest in the reclamation of 650 acres inside the southern breakwater. The 2,600 acres to be reclaimed inside the northern breakwater is for the development of mega projects. An EoI has also been invited for one of the projects.
“The CPT only has the right to ply ships through the waters but the government is the owner of the land covering the water body. However, here the government is hand in glove.
For reclaiming 3250 acres of land, the silt alone will not do. They will have to raze hills to mix red earth with it. All the reclamations are being done in violation of Coastal Regulation Zone and other environmental rules,” said N Ramachandran, secretary-legal, Association for Environmental Protection.
