Kochi port union suggets to use dredged material

Kochi: As the Kochi port is preparing for capital dredging for its container transhipment terminal project, the Cochin Thuramugha Thozhilali Union, one of the trade unions in the port, has come out with a suggestion to utilise the spoiled dredged material for land reclamation in the port area.

The trade union pointed out that the dredged material could have been gainfully used for reclaiming substantial extent of land in the low lying marshy area on the northern part of Vallarpadam Island.

The optimal use of dredged material will help the port for reclamation of land required for its future development programmes.

The union cited the instance of the formation of Willingdon Island by its founder Sir Robert Bristow by using the spoiled dredged material in the inner harbour region for reclaiming land.

Mr K.N. Vasudevan, Joint Secretary, CTTU, said that the ICTT project required a capital dredging quantum of 26.5 million cubic metres and an annual maintenance dredging quantum of 16.5 million cubic metres.

Considering the siltation in the channel, there is no point in disposing of the dredged material in the outer sea, which eventually resulted in repeated maintenance dredging in the harbour.