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Time of India

Rs 306-crore tetrapod seawall project at Kannamali gets nod

1 2 3 4 Kochi: In a major relief to Chellanam residents, cabinet granted approval for the second phase of the tetrapod seawall project on Wednesday. The Rs 306-crore second phase will be implemented along a 3.6km stretch from Puthenthodu to Cheriyakadavu, in Chellanam panchayat, where sea surges threaten hundreds of houses. Industry minister P Rajeeve said revised administrative sanction for the seawall — which will be implemented as a KIIFB project — and the revised administrative sanction would be provided this week. The tetrapod seawall project's 7.3km-long first phase, from Chellanam to Puthenthodu, was completed in 2023 at a cost of Rs 347 crore. The project was initially designed to build a tetrapod seawall over a distance of 10km and breakwater structures (pulimuttu) at two locations. However, the authorities could complete only 7.3km due to cost escalation. Now, a revised detailed project report (DPR) for the second phase has been prepared which needs fresh administrative approval. The minister said KIIFB's financial approval would also be made available soon. Chellanam is one of the 10 hotspots identified by the irrigation department that faces the most severe sea erosion. Though the tetrapod seawall prevented sea erosion on the Chellanam-Puthenthodu stretch during this monsoon, the Puthenthodu-Kannamali-Cheriyakadavu stretch witnessed the highest ever sea surge in the last four years. More than 500 houses were badly affected in the area and one of the houses in the Cheriyakadavu region was completely damaged. The geobags placed in several parts of the area were also washed away in the sea surge. Social organisations in the coastal area have joined hands and launched various protest programmes demanding tetrapod seawall construction in more areas of the Chellanam coastal area to protect their homes and lives from coastal erosion. The authorities failed to implement any temporary protective measures along the Chellanam-Kochi coast, which is severely threatened by sea erosion this monsoon. After organising more than 10 protest programmes in various parts of Chellanam and in the city demanding a permanent solution to the sea erosion issue, Chellanam-Kochi People's Forum had taken out a protest march to the district collectorate on April 11, demanding immediate steps before the onset of the monsoon. But authorities failed to intervene. The forum's working chairperson Thushar Nirmal said around 25 homes were completely washed away by waves in the past two years and more than 50 families were relocated in Chellanam area alone.