Tetrapods @ Chellanam

Chellanam is the costal village in the district of Ernakulam. During the past few years, the sea shore near Chlleanam has witnessed erosion. To mitigate this threat, the Kerala state government has come out with a project - construction of seawall using tetrapods along the stretch between Chellanam harbour and Puthanthodu. Tetrapods are being laid on 2.5m foundation of granites and a height of 6.1m from the sea level. 

The aim is to complete the construction of the 7.3m long sea wall before April 2023. The work is progressing very fast and ULCC is engaged in the manufacturing of tetrapods based on the study conducted by NCCR (National Centre for Coastal Research). The project is supervised by Anti Sea Erosion Project Management unit under the irrigation department.

The students of sixth semester B.Tech had a chance to visit Chellanam on 4 March 2023. The visit was organised in association with ICI Kochi Chapter. The visit was amply supported by Er.Ashwin , AE - Irrigation Dept, Er. Sajith J P, Er. Shyju Nair from ICI and the engineering team from ULCC. The team gave a complete walk though of the project and explained the various stages of construction in detail. 

Students got an opportunity to see the moulds used for casting of tetrapods, the process of casting, compaction using needle vibrators and rubber hammer. They could also get to see the process of lifting, transporting and placing the tetrapods in the seawall. The aggressive nature of the marine environment demands special care in the selection of materials, maintaining quality of construction and design of the mix.

 

Transporting and lifting using cranes also requires planning since the tetrapods are un reinforced. Any small ignorance in the process can lead to failure of the section. It was also interesting to understand the reason behind the shape of tetrapod. The visit was a great opportunity for the students to get a first hand experience of a large project, the various aspects of managing it in an aggressive marine environment.

The student team from FISAT was accompanied by Dr. Kavitha P E, Ms. Rinu J Achison,  Ms.Beena B R, Mr. Jawahar Saud S and Mr. Sreerath S.

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Rinu J Achison, Asst. Prof.