Posted on August 1, 2017
By S. Prasad, The Hindu
Thanks to the environmentalists, the Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) on Saturday suspended dredging of the fishing harbour after silt and debris including toxic waste from the confluence of two drains were pumped into the sea through pipelines laid at the old pier.
A top official of DCI said the Corporation had started dredging the inner channel near the fishing harbour on Friday on the directions of the government. However, the work was immediately suspended after debris from the confluence of the Uppar and Grand Canal was pumped into the pipelines and mixed into the sea, shocking environmentalists.
The DCI has dredged 3 lakh cubic metres of sand as per the contract. The move to dredge the portion near the inner channel was taken up on the request of the Port department. The objective of the work was to facilitate entry and exit of boats into the harbour. However, the work had been stopped and the DCI was now winding up its operations, he said.
Claim disputed
But the environmentalists have disputed the claims of DCI. Readings taken on July 2 revealed that the total sand dredged from inside the harbor mouth was only 97,697 cubic metres. According to a Bathymetry report of the National Institute of Ocean Technology, out of the total 97,697 cubic metres, around 34,300 cubic metres of sand had been deposited on the land adjacent to the harbour.
“The Trailer Suction Hopper Dredger which was engaged by the DCI in May had dredged about 1 lakh cubic metres of sand which was discharged offshore. The DCI dredger was dredging the contaminated sewage water consisting of silt and muck from the Grand Canal and Uppar drain and discharging it in front of Seagulls restaurant,” Probir Banerjee of Pondycan told The Hindu.
Even before the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) had confirmed that 3 lakh cubic metres of sand was dredged, the Port department acted in haste and stationed a dredger of MARG in the harbour mouth in place of the DCI dredger.
This was a serious violation as the Port department had submitted an affidavit before the court that the DCI contract would not be disturbed and that sand would be discharged 4 km away as per the work order. The MARG dredger was to remove silt in the inner channel after getting environmental clearance. However, the harbour mouth where DCI was dredging had been taken over by MARG, he said.
Almost 15 years of effort by the government and the dream of the people of Puducherry to get back the beautiful beach which was lost due to erosion was now being jeopardized by wrong decisions.
“Considering that 45% of India’s beach is eroded due to coastal structures, Puducherry could have been a model for the rest of the country. This is a huge setback for environmental and social justice which was within our reach,” Mr. Banerjee added.
An official of the Port department said that the PWD was only treating underground sewerage at its treatment plant in Dubburayapet while toxic waste and debris from the confluence of the Uppar and Grand canals continued to be released into the sea.
Source: THE HINDU
