Irrigation dept. to restart dredging in Korapuzha

The Irrigation department will restart dredging works in Korapuzha river.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by District Collector M.S. Madhavikutty and attended by MLAs Vidya Balakrishnan, K. Praveen Kumar, and other officials.

The dredging work was halted following mass protests in February 2026. Residents and political parties had alleged that sand was being illegally extracted under the pretext of dredging to remove accumulated silt and sediments from the Korapuzha river.

Ms. Balakrishnan said the work would resume after taking the protesters and residents into confidence. The meeting decided that the work would recommence from the Korapuzha railway bridge side. Silt and sediment from an initial 1-km stretch would be removed initially. Dredging along the Korapuzha estuary would be resumed at a later stage.

The dredging work, being carried out under the aegis of the Irrigation Department, covers the stretch between the Korapuzha estuary and the Korapuzha railway bridge. The project, which began in 2022, aims to remove around two lakh cubic metres of silt and sediment to ensure the smooth flow of water into the sea. The accumulation of silt and sand has hindered the movement of fishing boats and caused flooding in nearby areas by reducing the river’s flow.

The dredging is being carried out to a depth of 3.5 metres below sea level, over a width of 100 to 140 metres, along a 1,600-metre stretch east of the estuary.