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Kakinada's shallow bay in deep waters

Ch. R. S. Sarma

THE KAKINADA deep-water port, built by the Andhra Pradesh Government with three berths at a cost of Rs 300 crore borrowed from the Asia Development Bank (ADB) and subsequently handed over to Cocanada Port Company in the private sector, is in the news, th ough for the wrong reasons. It is reported that the berths have developed cracks and the private company has brought the matter to the notice of the State Government, seeking reimbursement of some Rs 10 crore required for having the berths repaired.

The State Government has ordered an inquiry by a Mumbai-based private agency. A careful study is necessary on the soundness of the berths, the development of the deep-water port, in particular, and that of Kakinada as an industrial port town, in general, especially from the environmental angle.

Kakinada's is a shallow bay and the fragile marine environment surrounding it, especially the mangroves, would be imperilled if the development is taken up in a haphazard manner without an environmental impact study. Dr. T. Rajyalakshmi, a fisheries expe rt and president of the Society for the Promotion of Integrated Coastal Areas Management, is of the opinion that no more construction activity should be allowed in the shallow bay, as it would endanger fishing activity.

``The shallow Kakinada bay is protected on the east by the Hope Island, which is an elongated sand-spit extending from the Gowtami-Godavari estuary. There should be no construction activity on the Hope Island, as that would adversely affect the island an d the town itself,'' says Dr. Rajyalakshmi. She says the proposed LNG terminal on the Hope Island would pose a threat to it.

``Cocanada Port Company, it is said, plans to construct 18 more berths and such activity in the shallow bay would change the character of its fauna. The fisheries nursery will be destroyed and along with the mangroves in the estuary, with the large influ x of seawater. The aquifers in the town will become salinated,'' she says.

Dr. Rajyalakshmi, who had worked in the Sunderbans in West Bengal, says the Kakinada mangrove area is the largest in the country and all steps should be taken to protect it. The bay should be developed as a sanctuary and not an industrial area. The half- yearly littoral drift in the Bay of Bengal should also be taken into account before taking up any further dredging activity in the bay for construction of more berths and for harbouring bigger ships. ``Hope Island, aptly christened, is the hope of Kakina da and it should not be endangered in the name of development,'' thinks Dr. Rajyalakshmi.

Dr. T. Patanjali Sastry, director, Environment Centre, Rajahmundry, has also asked the State Government not to allow any more industrial activity in the Kakinada bay without proper assessment of the environmental factors. ``Any project which is likely to have an adverse impact on the town and is likely to imperil the livelihood of thousands of fishermen, traditionally dependent on the bay, should be shelved.

``While it is laudable to develop the Kakinada-Visakhapatnam stretch as an industrial corridor, the environmental norms should not be given the go-by and the State Government should tread cautiously. The public should be kept informed of all the possible implications,'' he says.

Meanwhile, the old Kakinada anchorage port continues to suffer from poor cargo movement for the past six months or so it has been at a virtual standstill.

Pic.: The Kakinada Port... knee-deep in problems.