Why fishermen risk their lives to pass through the 'mouth of death' in Muthalapozhi?

In the fishermen villages around Muthalapozhi harbour, it is said that going out to work is like going to war. There is no guarantee of return.

In the last decade, hundreds of boats that had crossed the 'mouth' of the Muthalapozhi harbour on their way out to the sea or back have capsized or have been hurled around by the crazed waters. The 'mouth' is where the Arabian Sea meets the Kadinamkulam lake between the far ends of the north and south breakwaters of the Muthalapozhi harbour, 40 kms north of Vizhinjam port.

In the last decade, 37 fishermen were killed in the 'mouth' alone.

On July 31 night, a fishing vessel returning from the deep sea with four men on board overturned just when it entered the 'mouth'. Two men swam to safety. The body of the third, 26-year-old Freemon, was found washed up three days later on the shores of Thumba, nearly 20 kilometres south.
The fourth, Shijin (31), is still missing. On Sunday, the tenth day after the boat capsized, the Navy too has joined the rescue operation.

Waiting for a miracle
Seasoned fishermen Onmanorama talked to seem to have lost hope. "There are only four possibilities," said Sleemon Gomez, a 76-year-old fisherman.

"The body can be caught in the spaces between the rocks and tetrapods of the breakwaters under the water. If it was not trapped between the rocks, it would have come up to the surface anywhere in the ocean on the third day, bloated and with its face down. There are so many fishermen out in the sea and they would never have missed it. If none of us has seen a floating body, it can only mean that the bloated stomach would have burst and the remains had sunk deep down in the ocean," he said.

But it is a fourth possibility that he and many in the coast are praying for. "He would have been taken by the current to the deep sea and some Tamil or Sri Lankan fishing boat would have already spotted him. We have had many such incidents before. We might soon hear about him," Sleemon said.

Nearly all the accidents in Muthalapozhi have taken place when the sea is rough, particularly during the monsoon period from June to September. Yet, fishermen risk their lives to pass through the 'mouth of death' even when there is official warning of rogue weather.

Necessity of suicidal missions
This is not the poor man's act of desperation. It is the paradox of the profession for these Muthalapozhi fishermen.

The sea offers its richest gifts during the toughest times, between June and September. It is the time when fish lay eggs. And to let them breed peacefully, a 52-day trawling ban is also imposed on mechanised boats for two months from June to July. Underwater life prospers.

A small fisherman dependent on the Muthalapozhi harbour has to repeatedly cross the 'mouth of death' in these treacherous months if he wants to haul in the catch that will fortify his walls against the killer wave called poverty. It is like being a fighter pilot during war. If a fighter pilot gets the call, he has no choice but to fly suicidal missions.

"We earn the most in a year during the four months of June, July, August and September," said Nelson Isaac, a fisherman and Anchuthengu grama panchayat member. "It is this money that will sustain us the rest of the year. This is also the money we save for the education and marriage of our children. So whatever happens, be it rain or wind or even death, cannot stop us from going to the sea on these days," he said.

For fishermen north of Perumathura, except in Mampally, there is no safer route to the sea than through the unreliable harbour inlet.

In areas like Thazhampally, Poothura, Anchuthengu and Nedunganda, there is not even a tightrope of a beach left. Even if there is some sand left in the back of their houses, it would not be more than a metre wide, like in Poothura. Forget boats, even strays cannot sunbathe there comfortably.

Jackpot beyond fear
So to tell a fisherman not to go out fishing through the 'mouth of death' when the sea is rough is like telling a fighter pilot not to fly because the enemy could shoot him down.

"This is the time when the catch is the highest for us. We will go fishing even if the government tells us that it is dangerous. There is hope that we will get something big," said Valerian, the vice president of Kerala Swatantra Matsya Thozhilali federation.

When it comes to warnings, the administration plays it safe. "The government ends up putting out bad weather warnings virtually every day, at least for three of these four months. How can the government expect us to shut ourselves up in our house when these are the only months when we get some money," Valerian said.

During these months, fishermen who brave the mouth and return bring with them varieties that are highly in demand for exports like squid (kanava), prawns and pomfret (aavoli).

When titans clash
The primary issue with the 'mouth of death' is the sediment accumulation in the estuary bed, beneath where the lake and sea meet.

When the collision happens, the lighter lake water remains on top of the salty, denser sea water. However, the insoluble mud, clay and other organic particles the lake brings mix with salt ions and form what are called 'flocs' (the process is called 'flocculation').

These dense 'flocs' are then pulled down to the floor by gravity. Constant accumulation reduces the depth of the 200-metre-wide channel between the two breakwaters of the harbour. So when incoming sea water clashes with outgoing lake water, the tides rise to monstrous heights. Fishing vessels caught in this turmoil get hurled. A boat thrown to the side two months ago can still be seen stuck on the rocks of the southern breakwater.

And fishermen thrown into the water get pulled in two directions, a lake flowing out into the sea and a sea rushing inwards. More than skill, they need luck to survive.

Sand removal
Initially, Adani Ports had agreed to dredge the sediments from the channel in return for a free 'load out facility' adjacent to the southern breakwater where it could collect the rocks it sources from various quarries before transporting them in barges to the Vizhinjam port site. Once the need for the 'load out facility' was over, the dredging stopped.

The UDF government held two rounds of discussions with Adani officials in early July to resume dredging but it did not work out. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has now agreed to remove the sand.