Enayam Port

Tamil Research Institute
RAPID TECHNO-ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY REPORT FOR
DEVELOPMENT OF COLACHEL PORT AT TAMILNADU
FINAL REPORT
3. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT
3.1. INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY AREA
Kanyakumari is the smallest district situated in the Southwest of Tamil Nadu, South India with a land spread of
1,684 sq. km. It has almost all ecosystems – forests, wetlands, freshwater resources, marine etc. The coastal
ecosystem of this District comprises 68 km in length and is studded with 44 coastal fishing villages.
Since this district is situated at the extreme south of the Indian subcontinent, the coastline is formed nearly by the
three seas, namely the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. But the main part of the coast
faces the Arabian Sea.
The coastal landscape of Kanyakumari District is mainly composed of beach ridges of rocky, sandy, clay in salt
pan region and swampy nature in the estuarine regions. The 68 km long coast has a heavy concentration of
fisher folk, almost one village per 1.5 km.
Coastline is exposed to relatively higher waves than the rest of the Indian coast due to its direct exposure to the
Indian ocean. The oceanography of this region is controlled by three different seasons a) southwest monsoon
(June to September), b) northeast monsoon (October to December), c) fair-weather period (February to May). The
tidal range along the west coast of India increases from 6.5 m to 7.6 m towards south.
3.2. LAND ENVIRONMENT
3.2.1. Climate and Atmosphere
The climate of the state Tamil Nadu is tropical monsoon type. In the plains, the temperature during winter seldom
goes below 18°C while in peak summer it rises to 43°C. Tamil Nadu receives rains from both the northeast and
southwest monsoons. Maximum rainfall and occasional cyclones occur during the northeast monsoon. The
Western districts receive the maximum rainfall while South districts receive low rainfall.
Unlike other districts, Tamil Nadu has a rainfall both during the South West and the North East monsoons. The
South West monsoon period starts from the month of June and ends in September, While the North East
monsoon period starts from October and ends in the middle of December. The average rainfall is as shown:
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