Protest by coastal residents in Chellanam enters seventh year

In one of the longest-running protests of its kind, the agitation by the coastal population along the Chellanam-Fort Kochi stretch demanding a permanent solution to sea erosion entered its seventh year on Tuesday (October 28).

The protest, spearheaded by the Chellanam-Kochi Janakeeya Vedhi, completed six years on Monday (October 27). To mark the occasion, a dharna was staged at Thoppumpady on Tuesday, with protesters expressing frustration over the government’s inaction four months after announcing the ₹306-crore second phase of tetrapod-based seawall construction along the 3.60-km stretch between Puthenthode and Cheriyakadavu.

“The announcement was made on July 2. But so far, no steps have been taken to issue administrative, technical, or financial sanctions, without which the work cannot proceed. With local body elections likely to be notified soon, triggering the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct, the project may face further delays unless prompt action is taken now. The nature of the Chellanam panchayat is such that no work can be undertaken along the coastal stretch from the end of May,” said V.T. Sebastian, general convener of the Chellanam-Kochi Janakeeya Vedhi.

The coastal population remains apprehensive that unless work begins on a war footing, the exposed shoreline may once again bear the brunt of the monsoon next year. The first phase of the project, covering a 7.30-km stretch from Chellanam to Puthenthode, was completed in 2023 at a cost of ₹347 crore. Although the original plan included the remaining 3.60-km stretch from Puthenthode to Cheriyakadavu, the executing agency—Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society Limited—was only able to complete up to Puthenthode due to a revised estimate.

The Vedhi has demanded that the stretch from Cheriyakadavu to Manasserry, Saudi, and Beach Road also be protected, either through a tetrapod-based seawall or by constructing a breakwater wall after reducing the shoreline depth by depositing dredged sludge to lessen the intensity of waves. “On this stretch within the Corporation limits, there is hardly any separation between the existing seawall and residential houses, so the waves lash directly against the houses. If the tetrapod seawall is restricted to Cheriyakadavu, the impact of waves will intensify further to its north in Manasserry, Saudi, and Beach Road,” Mr. Sebastian warned.

The intrusion of seawater and the resulting erosion have significantly reduced along the coastal areas of West Kochi within the Kochi Corporation, adjacent to the highly vulnerable Chellanam panchayat, thanks to reported beach nourishment through the deposition of dredged sludge along select stretches of the shore over the past few months.