Sir Robert Bristow - His challenges and solutions
Sir Robert Bristow, who was assigned the task of expanding the port in 1920, understood that there lies only one permanent solution – the creation of a safe inner harbour.
But there were more challenges than positive aspects. The ships required more than 8 ft water to enter the harbour. But the compactly packed sand and silt barrier lay across the opening of the Cochin backwaters into the sea and it prevented the entry of ships.
Removing the sand bar seemed to be impossible for the engineers. Moreover, the ecological effects of such a removal of sand bar on the nearby Vypeen Island or Vembanadu Lake were also unknown.
The Port - In the early 1920s
