Korapuzha dredging to remain suspended after high-level meeting

A high-level meeting chaired by Forest Minister and Elathur MLA A.K. Saseendran has decided not to restart dredging works in the Korapuzha river.

Following mass protests last month, the authorities temporarily halted the work and appointed an expert committee led by Assistant Collector S. Mohanapriya to examine complaints regarding the project. The committee has submitted its report to District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh.

Though it was expected that authorities would give the green signal to resume dredging, the meeting held on Friday (March 13) decided that the work should not be recommenced until further notice.

Mr. Saseendran issued the direction to Irrigation department officials and the contractor.

The region earlier witnessed a series of protests after residents and political parties alleged that sand was being illegally extracted under the pretext of dredging to remove accumulated silt and sediments from the Korapuzha river.

Protesters blocked the contracting firm from transporting sand from Mattuvayal. Fishers and residents also dismantled a temporary bridge built across the Azheekkal canal, which was allegedly being used to move the sand. They alleged that the company had been carrying out “indiscriminate” sand mining without adequate government oversight.

Residents later prevented an attempt to dump the sludge generated during sand removal into a deep pit at Mattuvayal. According to them, the contract stipulated that the sludge produced after processing the soil should be taken away from the area. However, they alleged that this condition was violated and that there was an attempt to dump the waste within Mattuvayal itself.

The dredging work, being carried out under the aegis of the Irrigation department, covers a stretch between the Korapuzha estuary and the Korapuzha railway bridge. The work, which began in 2022, aims to remove around two lakh cubic metres of soil in order to ensure the smooth flow of water into the sea. The accumulation of silt and sand has been hindering the movement of fishing boats and causing flooding in nearby areas due to reduced river flow. The dredging is being carried out at a depth of 3.5 metres below sea level, with a width of 100 to 140 metres, over a stretch of 1,600 metres eastward from the estuary.

Disaster Management deputy collector S. Sajid, Irrigation department executive engineer U. K. Girish Kumar and other officials attended the meeting.