Kerala has new ideas for coastal conservation. Know what it is

Kerala government has welcomed ideas that would help in coastal conservation and one such  measure include protection from the geo tubes.

While elaborating the initiative at the Assembly, Fisheries Minister J Mercykutty Amma on Thursday said the government was planning to use off-shore breakwater system to protect the seashore.

This will be a major change in the continuing practice of protecting sea costs using sandbags and boulders.

The move was after taking into account environmental issues caused by the use of granite and other such materials for constructing seawalls, the Minister said.

“The first initiative in this regard will be launched at Punthura here this month,” she said.

A total of Rs 150 crore has been sanctioned from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) for the whole project, the Minister said.

If the 700-metre project from Punthura to Valiyathura succeeds, the off-shore breakwater system would be extended to Shangumukham six km away, she said.

Deploying granite blocks and erecting seawall using boulders and sandbags had been the conventional practice in the southern state to check sea erosion and protect the coasts from high tides.