Kochi: The Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, facing flak from a cross section of the people for its proposed LPG Terminal Project at Puthuvypeen in Kochi, is all set to implement a seashore protection project with the support of Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai. A senior IOCL official told this newspaper that the company has already held detailed discussions with IIT Chennai for the implementation of shore groin protection system. The Department of Ocean Engineering at IIT Chennai is one of the pioneers of the shore groin technology in the country. The shore groin technology is being viewed as a much better system for checking erosion of beaches compared with conventional sea wall.
The technology involves building narrow structures within the water to prevent the erosion of the shore. The opponents of the LPG Import and Storage Terminal have been highlighting the concerns over setting up such a unit in an area described as highly prone to shore erosion. According to some of the critics of the project nearly one metre of shoreline is destroyed every year in the area due to erosion. Setting up storage tanks for a hazardous material such as LPG in such vulnerable area is having serious safety concerns, they said.
The IOCL is setting up of a six-lakh tonne LPG import and storage terminal at Puthvypen with an estimated cost of Rs 715 crore. The project has run into trouble with a section of local people raising a slew of safety concerns including the possibility of large-scale erosion in the area. The shore groin system to be implemented with expert advice and support from IIT additional precautionary measure by the company to ensure full safety of the terminal. The IIT Chennai has undertaken shore groin technology in select areas in the Kerala coast for checking beach erosion.
