Kerala fishermen up in arms against deep-sea mining proposal off Kollam coast

Kollam: "They can bring in the navy or even the army, but we will not allow sea mining off our shore. This is a matter of life and death for us, and we will not let anyone take away our livelihood," Robin said passionately about their stance on the Union government's proposed deep-sea sand mining.

The fishermen in Kerala have already launched several protests against the proposed plan to open up the sea to private mining companies as part of the Union Government's 'Blue Economy' initiative.

All the fishermen's associations stand united in their protests against this proposal, alleging that it would bring an end to the fisheries sector in the country, not only in the Arabian Sea but also in the Bay of Bengal.

"The mining, according to the scientific report we have, can disturb the seabed and completely destroy fish spawning habitats. It can also release poisonous gases trapped on the deep-sea floor, causing severe environmental issues," Kerala Minister for Fisheries, Saji Cherian, told PTI.

He said that deep-sea mining requires huge investments and heavy machinery, meaning only multinational corporations will be involved, making these areas completely inaccessible to poor fishermen.

The Kerala government, which is strongly opposing this project, passed a resolution in the Assembly urging the Centre to withdraw it.

The Minister said the proposed site, off the Kollam shore in Kerala in the Arabian Sea, is very rich in marine resources and serves as a lifeline for fishermen from Kerala and other states.

"We have a highly diverse and extensive fish population in this area. The mining will completely wipe out this habitat, severely affecting the livelihood of fishermen in our region," Saji Cherian said.

Experts have warned that Kerala's coastline is already severely affected by the impacts of climate change, with the Arabian Sea warming rapidly, leading to more cyclone formations and fewer working days at sea for fishermen.

"If ocean temperatures exceed 28 degrees Celsius, they support strong weather activities such as cyclones. Until recently, the Arabian Sea temperatures were below 28 degrees Celsius, but now they have increased by more than 1 degree Celsius, making the region more conducive to cyclonic formations," a scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology told PTI.

The fishermen believe that, under the present circumstances, sea sand mining will sound a death knell for the fisheries off the Indian coast.

"Making changes to nature means disturbing the soil about one and a half feet below the surface, which is found along the Kollam coast. When this silt is removed, it disrupts the formation of a protective bank.

"The Kollam shore is home to a large fish population, and if this silt is removed, it will destroy the habitat that supports them. If that happens, we may no longer need the fisheries department, either at the state or the Centre," Robin, a fisherman from Kollam, added.

The fishermen say that the mining would not only impact fisheries in the sea but also adversely affect fish populations in inland water bodies, another vital source of steady income for the people of Kerala.

"We are organising fishermen across Kerala, regardless of political affiliations, to unite and protest against this. We will not allow them to remove a single grain of sand from our seas, even if we have to lay down our lives for it," Apton, another fisherman, said.

According to the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), systemic utilisation of our coastline can bring in wonderful economic benefits. Sea mining can have some impact on fisheries, but it would be minimal if conducted outside territorial waters, beyond 12 nautical miles, it says.

"Most of our fishing pressure occurs within territorial waters. We have three categories involved in fishing and related activities: traditional, motorised, and mechanised. Among these, only mechanised vessels tend to operate beyond 12 nautical miles," Dr Grinson George, Director of CMFRI, Kochi, told PTI.

He said various scientific agencies have closely studied the project and said this has been worked out after a lot of research and developmental activities.

"There were organisations that were looking closely at the seismic data that is coming from the Indian exclusive economic zone, to know what is happening to the resources in the coastal area.

"They were looking into oil and natural gas, gas hydrates, some people were looking on polymetallic nodules and organisations like Geological Survey of India were looking at the sand and minerals part of it also, and wanted to use these resources optimally and sustainably, to support the Blue Economy concept which is promoted by Government of India," Grinson George added.

Deep sea mining is the process of extracting minerals and other resources from the ocean floor using advanced machinery. It is proposed to mine rare earth minerals, polymetallic nodules, and other resources found at greater depths of the ocean floor.

The Centre has approved a proposal for deep-sea mining along the Kerala coast, arguing that it would reduce dependence on imported minerals and boost the Indian economy.

Amendments to the Offshore Areas Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act have enabled the government to increase private sector participation and introduce an auction system.