The Hindu Business Line : Union plea on dredged silt in Kochi port area

Cochin Thuramugha Thozilali Union, one of the trade unions in Kochi Port, has questioned the advisability of disposing of the entire capital dredging materials in far away dumping locations in the outer sea.

The union suggested that the disposed dredging material could be effectively used for land reclamation in the port area as was done in earlier project schemes.

In a letter sent to the Port Chairman, the Union Joint Secretary, Mr K.N. Vasudevan, pointed out that there is immense potential for land reclamation by using the maximum possible dredged material taken out from the capital dredging in the channel. Around 30 hectares of land can be reclaimed with one million cubic metres of dredged material.

The ICTT project report envisages a capital dredging to the tune of 26.50 million cubic metres. If 10 million cubic metres out of the projected quantity can be used for land reclamation, the port will get vast land area in the vicinity with excellent road and rail connectivity, he said.

The proposed reclamation scheme will result in considerable reduction in the project cost, thereby making it financially viable. Moreover, this will cause substantial reduction in annual maintenance dredging in the years to come, he added.

Official stand

When contacted, the Port Chairman, Mr N. Ramachandran, said that there is nothing new in the proposal of the union, as there is already a proposal in the National Maritime Development Programme for land reclamation by using the dredged materials. The NMDP report suggested creation of an island near the BOT bridge to control the flow of water and regulate the siltation in the channel.

The port, however, could not proceed with the report due to environmental restrictions. The port is currently focusing to complete other important works connected with the ICTT project and other proposals suggested for the benefit of the port can be taken up at a later stage, he said.

The Chairman also pointed out that land reclamation with dredged materials was possible only in certain areas where there is a good availability of sand from the silt. But 95 per cent of the dredged materials in the port channel consist of silt, which could not be used for reclamation purpose. Moreover, there are some restrictions imposed by the Union Environment Ministry for further land reclamation in the backwater area, he added.

More Stories on : Trade & Labour Unions | Shipping | Kerala

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Paramount Chennai-Tiruchi flight

India to rebuild Sittwee port ahead of schedule

DG Shipping, industry to develop code for coastal movement

Hamburg Sud new service to connect India

Seaways Group in joint venture talks with Bibby Line of UK

Tuticorin Port seeks better rail connectivity

Ennore Port embarks on ship-to-ship operations

Union plea on dredged silt in Kochi port area

NF Rlys freight traffic up 28% in April-May