Onmanorama Lite App
The Kochi Assembly constituency election is heavily influenced by coastal erosion and sea protection issues, with residents demanding solutions for damaged homes and livelihoods.
After close to two decades of relentless erosion by the Arabian Sea, the completion of a 7.35-km tetrapod seawall, reinforced by a network of groynes, has triggered something close to a miracle. Nearly 120 families who once moved away after losing everything have returned home.
For the local community, the cabinet nod is also a validation of sustained public agitation.
For a moment, it appeared that the people’s movement born of desperation had successfully rewritten political grammar.
The first phase of the seawall project, covering a 7.3 km stretch, was completed in 2023 at a cost of ₹347 cr.
Sea incursion was worst at Cheriyakadavu with waves invading the area.
In July, over 300 houses in the area were completely inundated as sea incursion intensified in the area.
Chellanam in Kerala’s Ernakulam district is the worst coastal erosion-affected area in Kerala. More than 15,000 people living on the 17.5km coastal stretch in Chellanam live under seashore erosion threat almost round the year.
What intrigues most is the failure of the successive governments to secure the lives and property of the people and formulate plans to ensure safety of the coast.
People feel that the government’s relocation package is inadequate to buy land and build houses.
Results 1-10 of 13
