Posted on August 23, 2023
The Tamil Nadu Maritime Board has planned to dredge the Kaduvaiyar River estuary to remove the accumulated silt to facilitate the operation of Nagapattinam port and called for tenders to execute the work.
The Nagapattinam port is a natural port located on the shores of the Bay of Bengal at the estuary of River Kaduvaiyar, that flows south of the town between Akkaraipettai and Keechankuppam fishermen villages.
It houses a commercial port complex, a dockyard, and a lighthouse and handles edible oil imports. A sandbar near the mouth of Kaduvaiyar protects the port from wave action.
To remove the deposited silt, the Tamil Nadu Maritime Board has decided to dredge the estuary and called for tenders to execute the work. The dredging will be carried out at an estimated cost of ₹ 3.5 crore.
The accumulated silt due to wave action will be removed along the 1,110-metre stretch in the North-South direction west of the sandbar and 1,100 metre along the groynes perpendicular to the shoreline.
Dredging as a part of periodic maintenance is crucial for the functioning of Nagapattinam port which is one of the pivotal points of connectivity to the hinterland areas in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Tiruchi, Ariyalur, and Perambalur districts. The board has set a target to complete the dredging works within ten months.
