AN APPRAISAL ON FORTHCOMING VIZHINJAM INTERNATIONAL SEAPORT AREA

The coastline, terms the interface between land and water. Over one third of the world’s population lives either at the coasts or in adjacent coastal low land areas. The coast is a region of extreme energy contribution. The energy transported by waves, arrives at the coast and is obtainable for work. Thus the outcome is the processes of sediment transport causing morphological changes. As a result the coasts form the most rapidly changing places on earth's surface, playing an important role in global transportation of sediments. Hence studies on the coastal zone where air, land and water interact are a focus of particular interest among the scientific community. The coastal areas across the world are also of great economic importance as they contain copious natural resources and desired tourist destinations because of their immense scenic landscape.The port terminals and fishing harbors plays a key role in the worldwide economy through the transportation and storage of traded goods. On the other hand, their operating activities are extremely hurtful to marine and coastal environments if not properly maintained or monitored. The deeds of ports are the significant sources of environmental pollution and their construction may also harmfully affect the coastal environment, such as jetties/breakwater. The upcoming Vizhinjam seaport is a vital infrastructure to cater the container trades and these amenities may considerably dash the overall morphology and dynamics of the region. Hence to attain a preliminary view of its environmental conditions, a pilot study on the textural, mineralogical and geochemical distribution were analyzed in surface sediment samples of the Vizhinjam port area.