Sea Groynes turn Chellanam into fishing harbour

KOCHI: In the course of a year, south Chellanam has transformed from being one of the most sea attack-prone regions in the state to a much sought-after  fishing harbour thanks to the construction of two sea groynes in the region.  South Chellanam now receives around 100 fishing boats a day from Munambam  and Fort Kochi to Kollam and Alappuzha.Under the second phase construction of the harbour, a total of `29.9 crore  has been sanctioned. The harbour now has 150-metre long stone wall built  into the sea as part of the north groyne and 315 metres as part of the south  sea groyne. The south sea groyne is set to be extended to 620 metres.“Owing to the sea groynes, the sand has already accumulated and hence even  before the completion of the harbour, we receive as many as 100 fishing  boats every day. The case was very different as late as June last year when  the area would be under massive sea attacks year after year,” says Chellanam panchayat president K P Thangachan.At present, owing to the rising accidents in Munambam harbour due to the  presence of sand bars and the issues with fishermen’s unions at Fort Kochi,   an increasing number of fishing boats have taken to Chellanam as a possible alternative.“There are no other harbours from Fort Kochi to Arthungal. So, for a large portion of the sea area, Chellanam is the nearest harbour. If the boats get a catch anywhere in these areas, they come to Chellanam to  sell the yield. Hence, the fishing business too is growing here,” says O F Sebastin, an auctioneer at the Chellanam Harbour.But the harbour has its set of problems too. Road is a major issue and the only road close to the harbour is the state highway which connects Chellanam to Alappuzha and other parts of Kochi. The road is in a pathetic state.Moreover, the Harbour Engineering Department hasn’t got sufficient funds to repair the road.“To construct the connecting road, we need to acquire land. But, under the NABARD, we do not get funds for acquisition. That will have to be sponsored by the state government. We have sent a request last year but there has not been any response yet,” says K A Michael, assistant Engineer, Chellanam Harbour.