Forum seeks expert review before Korapuzha dredging resumes

The Society for the Protection of Environment, Kerala (SPEK), has urged the Kozhikode district administration not to resume the suspended dredging project at the Korapuzha estuary until an independent scientific assessment is carried out, warning that the project could have serious ecological and coastal consequences.

In a memorandum submitted to District Collector M.S. Madhavikutty, the environmental organisation called for the constitution of an expert committee, including a marine ecologist and a representative of residents, to evaluate the proposal to deepen the estuary before any further decision is taken. The demand comes in the wake of a meeting chaired by the Collector last month, which decided to restart the suspended dredging work.

The Irrigation department had prepared the project in 2015 to improve water flow in the Korapuzha by dredging a 1,600-metre stretch from the railway bridge to the estuary to a depth of 3.5 metres and removing accumulated spoil. The project received administrative approval in 2022, while dredging began in 2024.

According to SPEK, the Department of Mining and Geology valued the estimated 1.8 million cubic metres of dredged spoil at ₹192 per cubic metre. The contractor who secured the dredging contract also won the auction for the spoil.

The organisation alleged that although the contract required the dredged spoil deposited at Mattuvayal Beach to be removed within seven days, only the sand component was separated and transported, while the silt was left behind. It further claimed that spoil had been dumped beyond the designated disposal area and that naturally formed sand dunes at Mattuvayal Beach were also removed.

SPEK alleged that the dumping of spoil along the beach had been used as a cover for the extraction of naturally occurring beach sand. It also questioned the valuation of the spoil, arguing that beach sand commands a much higher market price than the auction rate fixed for the dredged material. The organisation further alleged that pits created after sand extraction had later been filled with plastic waste and construction debris.

The memorandum noted that residents had earlier protested against the alleged extraction of beach sand, following which a meeting convened by the District Collector decided to suspend the dredging-related activities temporarily.

SPEK said a study team of experts comprising K.K. Vijayan, Abdul Hameed, K.K. Devadasan, V.T. Nazer, Unnikrishnan Nambisan, and K. Koyatti had visited the site on several occasions, interacted with residents and experts, and examined project documents obtained under the Right to Information Act before preparing the memorandum.

Referring to a 2008 study by the Department of Ocean Engineering at IIT Madras, the organisation said the report had recommended the construction of a seawall along the northern bank of the estuary while observing that the accumulation of sand and silt on the southern bank would form a natural protective barrier. According to SPEK, the IIT study did not recommend dredging and removal of spoil from the estuary.

The organisation also expressed concern that removing dredged spoil could alter the natural movement of sand along the coast, the long-term consequences of which remain uncertain. It said further scientific studies were necessary before the project was resumed.

SPEK also suggested that a long stretch of the Elathur-Korapuzha beach, which it described as having considerable tourism potential, should be developed as an environmentally sustainable tourist destination.