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Shangumugham Coastal Erosion Timeline - Coggle Diagram
Shangumugham Coastal Erosion Timeline
2015- Richens Morais ( fisherman in Vizhinjam) : Coastal erosion has been aggravating during the monsoon every year ever since the dredging for the port began in 2015.
1970- First breakwater in Kerala came as a part of fishing harbor construction in Vizhinjam
2010- According to the 2010 Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute there are 42 fishing villages, 51 fish landing centres and 33,340 fisher families In Thiruvananthapuram District. The total population is 146,326 and there are 32,859 traditional fishermen. And 19,377 families are below poverty line.
2017 August- Residents of Valiyathura : ‘this process of erosion has accelerated after construction of a deep-water multipurpose seaport began at Vizhinjam, 15 km away’. Anil Babu (46 year old fisherman): “This is the first monsoon after the work on the port began in December last year. It gave us many sleepless nights". “Will we have to leave this place when the port becomes operational?”
2016, September 2- tribunal’s final verdict - not found any substance in the complaints and refused to cancel the environmental clearance. It relied on a report by the Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services that categorically said Vizhinjam did not fall in a high erosion zone.
2016 April-
When the port construction work started it ruined the livelihood of hundreds of people. Earlier days around 7000 fishermen used to go to sea for fishing by 1500 boats. But when the dredging started the whole scenario changed. These days (2016) only 500 fisherman and 100 boats are going into the sea via vizhinjam are. Fishermen say that the deep dredging of underground rock is affecting the fishes. So they are not getting sufficient fishes..
2014 January- The Vizhinjam seaport project obtained the environmental clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.
2017 August- Beach erosion has destroyed more than 100 homes in June and July in the village. Another 100 homes in the nearby fishing villages of Poonthura, Panathura and Bimapalli have also been damaged.
1970- Vijay Joseph (former researcher with international ocean institute) - "The coastal erosion has been started from 1970 when the minor breakwater was built for Vizhinjam fishing harbor the advancement of the sea has accelerated alarmingly after construction began in 2015 on Thiruvananthapuram’s much-touted Vizhinjam International Deep-water Multipurpose Seaport".
2015- Local activists, on behalf of the residents, filed a plea with the National Green Tribunal asking for withdrawal of the environmental clearance.
2015 July- The Vizhinjam Seaport contract was awarded to Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited on July 13, 2015, after an international competitive bidding.
2016 may 17 -The rains that lashed at Trivandrum coast on 17th of May itself and made life miserable for coastal people living all along the erosion-prone beaches on the northern side of the proposed Vizhinjam port! According to newspaper reports at least 150 houses washed away around the project area. Reports that one line of houses along the coast in Valiyathura fishing village has been fully destroyed and soon the second line of houses will also have the same fate. 100 m long breakwater built with piling up boulders also got severely damaged as these were thrown off to the waters by the surging waves!
2013- An assessment of shoreline dynamics carried out for the 2013 Environmental Impact Statement for the Vizhinjam development, warned that developments along the shoreline could have unintended consequences.
2017 June- Resident groups have blamed the port’s pile-driving operations that commenced in the middle of 2017 for serious damage to 243 houses in the villages of Vizhinjam and Kottappuram. The Vizhinjam parish led a protest in 2017 against piling. Playgrounds and beaches used by the local youth for games and sports training have been washed away.
1986- During the 1986 visit of Pope John Paul II, approximately two hundred thousand people gathered at this beach. It has been the venue for political and religious events attended by tens of thousands of people. (Now the entire beach has eroded. If the sea advances three more meters, it will enter the precinct of the Thiruvananthapuram international airport).
2017 August - Beach erosion razed the concrete building of the National Center of Earth Science Studies, besides damaging the Valiyathura pier.
2017 November - Ockhi hit Kerala coast , Whipped up by cyclonic storm Ockhi lurking off the coast, heavy rain and gale-force winds have pummeled the southern parts of the State, wreaking widespread havoc and bringing normal life to a halt.
2017 December- The Cyclonic Storm Ockhi which hit Kerala in December 2017 exacerbated this displacement. Thousands of families have now moved to other parts of the city.
2019 May- Shangumugham master plan(for tourism development)- the Kerala tourism department has announced Rs 14.67 crore upgradation master plan for Shangumugham beach. Master plan is in international standards. As per the new master plan, the Shangumugham beach will consist of recreational hub and cultural hub, entry improvement, urban plaza and vehicle parking.
2019 August - A.J. Vijayan, (Thiruvananthapuram-based expert on coastal issues.) : “Curiously, the crucial issue of coastal erosion has not been sufficiently addressed in the environmental impact assessment of the project,” construction of the breakwater reef along with the dredging of underwater rock and sand-mining would further undermine the security of the coastal villages adjacent to Vizhinjam.
2019 - During a press conference in 2019 at Thiruvananthapuram, State Fisheries Minister J Mercykutty Amma was reported saying that once the proposed 3.1-km breakwater is completed, coastal destruction will rise significantly.
2020 March - The compliance report of the seaport project for October 2019-March 2020, issued by AVPPL in consultation with the Kerala government, states that there is no shoreline degradation in the area as projected by those who oppose the project. But before one year the Fisherie Minister Mercykutty Amma has admitted the cunsstruction of breakwaters had led to high tides and coastal eroion
2020 October- during October 2020, fishing communities protested against Adani’s port redevelopment, blocking access roads with their boats. They say dredging and construction of breakwaters have seriously impacted local fisheries.
2020 November- Shangumugam, Once among the most popular landmarks in the city, it now lies completely submerged in the Arabian Sea. The angry wave has partially destroyed the airport road. Now showing more of its strength
2020 November - T. Peter, (general secretary of the National Fish workers Forum) – “sea erosion has already left 172 families homeless and that fishing would be reduced due to the maritime traffic and associated risks of coastal pollutionn once the project is operational.”
2020 November- In the 2020 monsoon, the celebrated Kovalam Beach in the Indian state of Kerala was devoured by the ocean. During the 2020 monsoon when the waves devoured Kovalam’s sandy shores and walkway for the first time in history. During the 2020 monsoon when the waves devoured Kovalam’s sandy shores and walkway for the first time in history.
2020 November- Around 800 homes in five rows were destroyed in the last four years, since construction of the breakwater began.
2021 June- . The depth of the sea along Trivandrum coast has increased considerably. There should be a proper study on how and where the deposit shall be done. The quantification of sand deposit at the mouth of the harbor has to be accurate. Beach nourishment will take time to yield results. – KV Thomasc