Posted on June 26, 2018
The dredging of the Mahanadi river mouth to ensure safety of seagoing fishermen remains a non-starter as agencies continue to shy away from the bidding process.
The cost of the dredging project has been estimated at Rs 7 crore that would be borne by the Inland Waterways Authority of India.
The Paradip port authorities had last taken up dredging of the navigational channel in 1997-98. Since then, no maintenance dredging has been carried out. The port authority invited tenders for the work recently. But after only a single bidder submitted papers, the tender was cancelled.
“A fresh tender will be floated shortly,” said an official of Paradip Port Trust.
The dredging of the river mouth is a strenuous work that requires high degree of technical expertise. The water flow at the point where the river meets the Bay of Bengal is marked by strong currents.
“This is a project of paramount importance and will safeguard the lives of seagoing fishermen. Navigating the crafts through the river mouth has become hazardous as the depth of the channel leading to the confluence has dipped. Cases of boat capsize and casualties have become a recurring phenomenon at the route,” said a port official.
If the fresh tender bidding fails to yield results, the government-run Dredging Corporation of India will be requested to take up the project, the official added.
The Central Institute of Coastal Engineering for Fishery had earlier undertaken a survey of the river mouth. Apart from mishaps involving fishing vessels, the release of river water into the sea is being impeded because of the narrowing the channel, said Paradip fishing harbour manager Bharat Bhusan Sahu.
The port trust has taken up beach nourishment work for protection of the sea wall, aggravating silt deposits at the river mouth. As a remedial measure and to arrest the movement of sand towards the river mouth and navigation channel, dredging is the need of the hour, sources said.
The depth of the river mouth currently stands at less than one metre, while fishing vessels require a minimum depth of 4m for smooth and safe navigation. The fishermen community has long demanded dredging of the river mouth to reduce accidents and casualties.
The Paradip fishing harbour is a major fish landing centre on the east coast where 640 mechanised vessels and 100 medium-size boats operate. About 30,000 people are engaged both directly and indirectly at the harbour.
Source: The Telegraph
