Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Corporation council seeks end to sand-mining at Veli

Special Correspondent

`Shoreline undergoing enhanced erosion'

Thiruvananthapuram: The City Corporation Council on Thursday adopted a resolution urging the State Government to check unauthorised sand-mining from the beach near the Veli sand bar.

Moving an adjournment motion on the issue, Poundukadavu ward councillor Veli Varghese said hundreds of truckloads of beach sand were being removed from the Veli inlet daily, exposing large parts of the shoreline to enhanced coastal erosion. He said the large-scale removal of sand had left the remaining portions of the beach pockmarked with deep pits, creating a hazard for residents and unwary visitors.

"During the last monsoon, the Veli inlet changed course, creating a 15-foot-deep flooded crater along 300 metres of the beach on the western side of St. Thomas Church, Valiaveli. Dozens of houses in the area were waterlogged," he said.

The resolution called upon the Government to deploy earth-moving equipment to fill up the trenches.

The local fishermen community in the Veli area has constituted an action council to prevent illegal extraction of sand from the beaches. Scientists feel that sand mining could have been a major causative factor for the unprecedented erosion along the Thiruvananthapuram coast last year. Dozens of houses were washed away by strong tidal action and the seawall was damaged at several places. Hundreds of coconut trees were also uprooted.

Saline sand in demand

The saline sand removed from beaches is favoured as a foundation-filling material for buildings because it repels termites and rodents. Unscrupulous traders also mix the beach sand with river sand to reap more profit. Removal of beach sand is prohibited under the Coastal Regulation Zone norms.

During the discussion on the resolution in the council, Chakka ward councillor S. Ratheendran struck a discordant note when he said that mining of beach sand had been continuing for many years. He said restricting the activity would deprive hundreds of workers of their livelihood.

Chairman of the health standing committee G.R. Anil said the revenue authorities had been alerted to the problem. "We have asked them to take action to ensure that the beach is not eroded further," he said.

Another resolution moved by Kannanthura ward councillor Solomon Vettukadu urged the Government to take stern action against the attempt to extract sand from the Parvathy Puthanar canal in the name of cleaning the polluted water-body. He said large quantities of sand were being removed and sold under cover of the project to clean up the canal from Kovalam to Aakulam.

Mr. Solomon accused the district administration of turning a blind eye to the unauthorised activity. "In many places, the dredgers are digging up the bed of the canal up to three feet. The extracted sand is transported to be sold to construction sites."

Mr. Ratheendran feared that the attempt to crackdown on sand extraction would sabotage the project taken up following a long-pending demand.

Intervening in the debate, Mayor C. Jayan Babu said the issue would be brought to the attention of the district administration. The resolution was adopted unanimously.

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