The Vizhijam port project and challenge of improving the lives of fisherfolk

The recent protest regarding the construction of Vizhinjam port in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala’s capital city, questions the need for development. The bleak reality of the fisher folk community in southern Kerala seems like a wound. Will the establishment of a port act as a suture? If yes, it can be a milestone development project for the region as it is expected to deliver key promises, including local employment generation. At the same time, introspection about the livelihoods of the fisherfolk community throws up valid concerns.

The Blue Economy and livelihoods: The blue economy can be defined as the “attitude of achieving long-term prosperity by a country or a region befitting the wellbeing of all citizens and mankind while preserving the environment, especially the sea”. Kerala saw a constant decline in marine fish production over the past decade, except in the year 2018-19, which is due to the active imposition of the amendment of the Kerala Marine Fishing Regulation Act. Moreover, the successive year shows a sharp decline, adding to the blow from the covid pandemic, thus marking a deep downturn in the local blue economy. However, close monitoring of the livelihoods and demographics of these communities reveals a complex social reality which may not be helped with the establishment of the port. The coastline of Thiruvananthapuram is 78km long, with 1,72,949 of the marine population (Fisheries statistics, 2021), the highest in the state. To understand the population pressure in a coastal area, economists used a demographic parameter called the Coastal Active Fishermen Population Density (CAPD), measured as the number of active fishermen per kilometer of coastal length. Among all Kerala’s coastal districts, CAPD is the highest in Thiruvananthapuram, with a positive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 0.65% since 2010. This is in contrast to the overall scenario in the state, where CAPD has declined for the last four years.

According to a study conducted by the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR)-Central Marine Fisheries Institute (CMFRI) 2021, the marine fisheries sector in India is facing disguised unemployment. In layman’s terms, disguised unemployment refers to the phenomenon in which more individuals are employed than are actually required. The economic growth witnessed over the years is mainly thanks to increased mechanized and motorized fishing vessels, along with high capital investment. In Thiruvananthapuram, the number of active marine fishermen grew at a rate of 2.5%, while fish production marked a negative CAGR (-4.64% since 2016), resulting in a decline in per capita fish production. Also, there has been an increase in migrant fishermen from Kanyakumari and nearby places to the capital during these years. So the port, in the long run, can have the potential to bring more employment opportunities for the people. But the sole establishment of a port may not solve the existing woes of fisherfolks which further got deepened due to erratic climate, apocalyptic floods, Nipah and the pandemic.

Socioeconomic status and the way forward: Even though Kerala performs relatively well in social indicators, pre-existing vulnerabilities of marginalized sections have negatively impacted the post-pandemic recovery. Taking Amartya Sen’s approach of seeing poverty as “capability deprivation” rather than merely looking through the lens of “low-income status” can give a multifaceted picture of their livelihoods. Since the inception of mechanization in the fishing sector in the mid-1960s, the living standards of the traditional fisherfolk communities and their lack of access to basic amenities have led to further deprivation. This has created class tension between mechanized boat owners and traditional ones.

Compared to the average household in Kerala, traditional fisherfolk communities have poor access to proper drinking water and sanitation and record high rates of dropouts from educational institutions. The declining sex ratio (from 953 in 2016 to 885 in 2020, Fisheries statistics 2020) among the fisherfolk of Kerala is an indicator of gender bias and healthcare issues. This sex ratio trend of fisherfolk is in contrast to the state-level rise (from 1049 in 2015-16 to 1,121 in 2020-21, NFHS report).

According to the Fisheries statistics 2021, there are 42 marine villages in the capital city while only three dispensaries have so far been made. Their congested living conditions make them prone to the spread of zoonotic diseases. During covid, they were scorned as “super spreaders” and underwent discrimination from non-coastal residents. These deprivations and discriminations manifest by way of poverty among the fisherfolk households. This is worse for women-headed households where 80% of allied fishing activities like net mending and fish drying are carried out by women.

From the baseline report of the National Multidimensional 

(NMPI) published by Niti Aayog in 2021, only 0.71% are multidimensionally poor in Kerala, the lowest among all states. Nevertheless, in an attempt to eradicate “extreme poverty”, fisherfolk, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes were targeted by government welfare measures as these communities fall under the poorest of poor. The aim is to uplift them from poverty by 2025.

At this juncture, ensuring adequate Social Safety Nets (SSN), expanding the provision of interest-free loans through Society for Assistance to Fisherwomen (SAF), housing insurance and pension for beneficiaries in Kerala Fisheries Welfare Board (KFWB) could enable social and economic mobility for the traditional fishing communities. Lack of adequate SSNs and under-reporting of deaths and accidents of fishermen will only lead to the exclusion of needy families from insurance schemes. According to KFWB, data in 2021 shows around 44% of the total accidental deaths of fishermen in the state happened in the capital city alone. Facilitation of entrepreneurship and related skills can resolve the problem of disguised unemployment to a certain extent. It can increase productivity through scientific fishing and act as a check to overfishing. Even though the state as a whole can capture the reflection of the fisherfolk’s livelihoods, each fishing village, like Vizhinjam, has a unique story to tell. Hence, effective exchange of information between local self-governments (LSG) and fisherfolk can help untie the knots at the grassroots level. The lucrative economic prospects that the ₹7,500 crore port is expected to bring should not jeopardize the underlying goals of social justice. State intervention with a welfare approach is necessary.

Shravan M K is a research associate with Azim Premji Foundation