Sea Fury Strikes Chellanam Once More

Swift Summary

• Heavy sea battering resumed in Chellanam, Kerala on July 23, 2025, with severe high tides expected around the new moon on July 25.
• Vulnerable areas between Puthenthode and Kattikadavu lack adequate seawall structures or have worn-out geobags in place. The ₹1.25 crore spent from the State Disaster Management Fund on geobags has proven to be ineffective due to piecemeal deployment and poor maintenance.
• V.T. Sebastian of Chellanam-Kochi Janakeeya Vedi criticized the temporary fixes with geobags as incomplete and untimely, warning of worsening consequences during forthcoming nine days influenced by high tide post-new moon phase.
• Kerala’s government approved a ₹306-crore project for phase two of tetrapod seawall construction to cover an additional 3.6 km stretch from Puthenthode to Cheriyakkadavu after completing the first phase (7.3 km) in 2023 at ₹347 crore cost.
• Locals demand extending this project further by two kilometers up to Beach Road citing concerns over worsening impact for unprotected areas like Kattipparambu, Kaithaveli, Saudi, Manasserry.

Indian Opinion Analysis
The recurring issue in Chellanam underscores vulnerabilities along India’s coastal regions where climate-induced sea battering is intensified by improper infrastructure planning and execution practices such efficacy barriers repeat faults-not holistic coverage spatial inclusivity gaps/segregated solutions needed