THIRUVANANATHAPURAM
The Vizhinjam container transhipment terminal will require dredging after each monsoon to remove at least 3 million cubic metre of silt at a minimum annual maintenance cost of Rs 30 crore, said hydrographic surveyor Commander John Jacob Puthur (retd).
Puthur, who holds the highest certification for a hydrographic surveyor by the Indian government, said the port’s profitability was suspect. “The source of all sediments in the sea — sand, silt and clay — is land. The sediments are transported from land to sea mainly by rainwater or run-off. The Vizhinjam port’s massive breakwater will block sediments from flowing into the sea and result in siltation. Even the dredged channel will be blocked. There is no other means but to undertake at least four-month dredging after every monsoon. Ships will not be allowed to move during this time,” he told a seminar organised by the Latin Catholic diocese on Vizhinjam port.
Full report here Times of India
