Material shortage, rough seas delay Poonthura offshore geotube breakwater project
Thiruvananthapuram: The offshore geotube breakwater project at Poonthura, aimed at protecting the vulnerable coastline of the state capital, has encountered a major setback.
Scheduled for completion by March 2025, the new deadline for the project has been set for April 2026. The delay is attributed to a shortage of construction materials and rough sea conditions, with works at standstill since May 7 this year.Kerala State Coastal Area Development Corporation (
KSCADC
), the implementing agency, confirmed that
material shortage
stemmed from the exclusion of a Chinese supplier. The Chinese firm previously provided custom-made geotubes after special permission from Union govt.
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However, under Centre's Make in India policy, KSCADC was directed to procure materials only from Indian companies, resulting in customs rejecting Chinese shipments.Geotubes are large fabric tubes filled with sand, strategically placed offshore to reduce the force of incoming waves and promote sand deposition along the coast.
The tubes, with lengths of 20, 16 and 12m and a circumference of 15m, are laid in three layers on the seabed at depths of around 6m. Positioned 80-120m from the shoreline, these structures form a submerged breakwater to combat erosion and protect the coastal stretch.A senior KSCADC official told TOI that while the first and second segments of geotube installations were completed, work on the third segment was halted midway. "We completed two segments installed about 100m offshore as a pilot initiative. The third segment is 50% complete, but we stopped due to material unavailability and unpredictable sea conditions. We are now coordinating with suppliers in Mumbai to match the geotube specifications previously used," said the official. "Since the sea is currently rough, and our work window is limited to morning hours, progress will be slow. We are now aiming for project completion by April 2026," he added.The total project cost is estimated at Rs 20 crore and is funded by Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). The project is also supported by National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT). The project area spans from Poonthura Church to Cheriya Muttam, with a broader plan to extend the protective structure up to Shangumukham in future.The project, which began in Feb 2022 after securing all required approvals, marks a shift from traditional coastal protection measures like rock barriers, which raised environmental concerns. The
geotube technology
is seen as a more sustainable and adaptive solution, minimising harm to marine ecosystems and avoiding resource depletion. KSCADC has partnered with Mumbai-based DVP GCC Joint Ventures for the execution of the work, and efforts are ongoing to resolve material procurement issues to restart the third segment installation at the earliest.
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