A battle between fishing and mining Premium

Coastal communities in Kerala oppose offshore mining due to environmental concerns, risking traditional livelihoods and marine ecosystems.

The coastal communities in Kerala are currently caught in a wave of unrest following the Centre’s plans for offshore mining, which they believe will ravage the fragile marine ecosystem and bring an end to their traditional way of life. Strong opposition erupted when proceedings to auction offshore mineral blocks began after an amendment to the Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 2002. As the Ministry of Mines issued a notice inviting tenders, fishers launched protests and demonstrations, and the Kerala Fisheries Coordination Committee was formed to resist the move. The coastal hartal on February 27 immobilised the sector for 24 hours, and fishers are now gearing up for a Parliament march on March 12.

The 2023 amendment to the Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) Bill introduced reforms allowing private sector participation in offshore mining. This includes granting production leases and composite licences through competitive auctions.

Surveys conducted by the Geological Survey of India revealed 1,53,996 million tonnes of lime mud within the Exclusive Economic Zone off the Gujarat and Maharashtra coasts, 745 million tonnes of construction-grade sand off Kerala coast, 79 million tonnes of heavy mineral placers in the inner-shelf and mid-shelf off Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra, as well as polymetallic ferromanganese (Fe-Mn) nodules and crusts in the Andaman Sea and Lakshadweep Sea. Substantial reserves of construction-grade sand were found in Kerala at water depths between 22 and 45 meters, specifically in the offshore areas of Ponnani, Chavakkad, Kochi, Alappuzha, and Kollam.

At present, bids have been invited for 13 offshore areas under Tranche 1, including three blocks of lime mud off the Gujarat coast, three blocks of construction sand off the Kerala coast, and seven blocks of polymetallic nodules and crusts off the coast of Great Nicobar Island. The three blocks selected for mining off the Kerala coast are located in ‘Kollam Parappu’ also known as Quilon Bank, one of the richest fishing zones in the southwest coast. The fishing hub is frequented by mechanised vessels, mesh gill net boats, and fishers using hook and line from both Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Kollam Parappu is also a crucial habitat teeming with commercially valuable marine species.

Fishers believe that mining operations in the area will destroy marine habitats, deplete fish stocks, and render their most-productive fishing grounds irredeemable. They also worry that mining will increase existing fishing pressure and escalate conflicts between traditional fishers and the mechanised sector. If offshore mining destroys major fishing grounds, such as Kollam Parappu, it will force vessels, including those from other States, to operate in coastal waters, leading to frictions and clashes.

The proposed mining site off the Kollam coast is also a biodiversity hotspot with high species richness, and essential for supporting marine life forms.

An ongoing study by the University of Kerala’s Department of Aquatic Biology & Fisheries warns that mining operations can cause catastrophic damage to ecosystems, harming the livelihood of fishers. It observes that the exceptional diversity of solitary and soft corals in the Kollam region will be threatened by sand mining, as the extraction process will cause sediment plumes, increasing turbidity and impacting the composition of the water column. This means declining water quality, disruption of food webs, and deterioration of spawning grounds. Apart from this, there is the need to evaluate the economic costs associated with using freshwater to wash extracted sand.