This was the latest in a series of drownings, said fishermen there, alleging that five of their colleagues drowned at the harbour in the last three months. The reason, they said, was the faulty design of the facility.

“Thengapattanam harbour is designed in such a way that there is lot of space for seawater to enter. So when the sea becomes rough, current in the harbour changes, resulting in fishermen drowning,” alleged Justin Antony, founding president, INFIDET, a fishermen representative based in Kanniyakumari.

The alleged design fault is not limited to this harbour alone but is reported across the State, claim fishermen. “Two recently inaugurated fishing harbours near Pamban in Rameswaram, and the ones in Azhagankuppam in Villupuram and Alamparai in Chengalpattu also have similar designs and will soon face similar issues,” said K Bharathi, president, South India Fishermen Welfare Association. According to him, the design of Pulicat fishing harbour, too, looked similar.

Fishermen complained that the government failed to consult them while constructing harbours. “Fishermen are the experts on matters regarding sea and currents, while officials have little knowledge on these matters. They make the mistake of not consulting us before constructing fishing harbours, which results in frequent accidents,” added Bharathi.

Justin Antony added that an expert committee should study the design of Thengapattanam harbour and take steps to reconstruct it so that no more lives are lost.

When asked, Fisheries Director GS Sameeran said: “All fishing harbour designs are vetted and validated by expert agencies like IIT-Madras, Central Institute of Coastal Engineering and Fisheries (CICEF) and Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS). Thengapattanam design was finalised in consultation with CWPRS.”

The present challenge in the barmouth at Thengapattanam was due to changes in wave pattern, offshore siltation and rough sea in the west coast. “Though breakwaters are in place from 2013, this year it is not helping to maintain tranquility due to unprecedented wave pattern and rough sea, which resulted in accidents,” said Sameeran, adding that the department has recently undertaken a study and would soon come up with an engineering solution to the problem.