Move to restore Korapuzha sparks dredging require scientific assessment

The Irrigation Department prepared a dredging project in 2015 to improve the flow of water in Korapuzha. | Photo credit: file photo

The Society for Environmental Protection, Kerala (SPEK) has urged the Kozhikode district administration not to resume the stalled dredging project in the Korapuzha estuary until an independent scientific assessment is carried out, warning that the project could have serious environmental and coastal consequences.

In a memorandum submitted to district collector MS Madhavikutty, the environmental organization called for an expert committee, which would include a marine ecologist and a resident representative, to evaluate the proposal to deepen the estuary before taking any further decision. The demand comes after a meeting presided over by the Collector last month which decided to resume suspended dredging work.

The Irrigation Department prepared a project in 2015 to improve water flow in Korapuzha by dredging a 1,600-metre stretch from the railway bridge to the mouth to a depth of 3.5 meters and removing the accumulated tailings. The project received administrative approval in 2022, while dredging began in 2024.

According to SPEK, the Department of Mines and Geology valued the estimated 1.8 million cubic meters of dredged tailings at ₹192 per cubic metre. The contractor who secured the dredging contract also won the booty auction.

The organization claimed that although the contract required the dredged spoil deposited on Mattuvayal Beach to be removed within seven days, only the sand component was separated and transported, while the mud remained. It further claimed that the tailings were dumped outside the designated disposal area and that the naturally formed sand dunes at Mattuvayal Beach were also removed.

SPEK claimed that the dumping of tailings along the beach was used as a cover for the extraction of naturally occurring beach sand. It also disputed the valuation of the loot, claiming that the beach sand has a much higher market price than the auction rate set for the dredged material. The organization further claimed that pits created after sand mining were later filled with plastic waste and construction debris.

The memorandum noted that the residents had earlier protested against the alleged mining of beach sand following which a meeting convened by the District Collector decided to temporarily suspend dredging activities.

SPEK said a study team of experts comprising KK Vijayan, Abdul Hameed, KK Devadasan, VT Nazer, Unnikrishnan Nambisan and K. Koyatti visited the site on several occasions, interacted with residents and experts and examined project documents obtained under the Right to Information Act before preparing the memorandum.

Citing a 2008 study conducted by the Department of Ocean Engineering at IIT Madras, the organization said the report recommended the construction of a causeway along the northern shore of the estuary, observing that the accumulation of sand and silt on the southern shore would form a natural protective barrier. According to SPEK, the IIT study did not recommend dredging and removing tailings from the estuary.

The organization also expressed concern that removing the dredged tailings could alter the natural movement of sand along the coast, the long-term consequences of which remain uncertain. She said more scientific studies are needed before the project can be resumed.

SPEK also suggested that a long stretch of Elathur-Korapuzha beach, which it described as having significant tourism potential, should be developed as an environmentally sustainable tourist destination.

Published – 19 Jul 2026 19:03 IST