Overcrowded Thottappally harbour turns danger zone for moored boats

Severe overcrowding at the Thottappally fishing harbour is causing a crisis for local fisherfolk, with fishing boats and expensive equipment sufferring frequent damage. The harbour basin, which has a safe parking capacity of just 50 boats, is currently packed with over 600 vessels of varying sizes. This massive congestion has led to routine collisions, completely wrecking hulls, outboard engines, and expensive nets, with some boats damaged beyond repair.

Whenever high winds blow or the sea turns rough, the tightly packed vessels crash into one another. These accidents have become a daily nightmare, with four to ten boats damaged every day. Individual losses are staggering, ranging from ₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh per vessel, plunging the local fishing community into a deep financial crisis. Traditional fisherfolk from a wide coastal belt stretching from Kattur to Thrikkunnapuzha rely entirely on the Thottappally harbour to moor their vessels. Unfavourable marine conditions and severe sea erosion mean they cannot safely anchor in the open sea or at the Thottappally spillway channel. Ironically, the very harbour designed to shield them from rough seas has now become a dangerous hazard zone due to extreme over-occupancy.

The damage to boats and engines has stripped traditional fishers of their livelihood and income during the peak fishing season, pushing coastal families into severe economic distress. Compounding their misery, the affected boat owners are yet to receive any financial compensation or relief packages from the government to rebuild their vessels.