1401 The Kerala PWD Manual will be used as the basis for the sections of Information Technology, Management Information Systems, Financial Management System and Geographical Information System in the Harbour Engineering Department’s Manual.

1402 There are considerable deviations and additions on these sections in the Kerala PWD Manual applicable to HED Manual and these are described below:

1403 Organizational Setup: Section 104.3 IT Cell in the Organizational Setup of PWD Manual deals with formation of IT Cell. This part is replaced for Harbour Engineering Department as below:

1404 HED IT Cell: HED shall have an IT Cell. An Assistant Executive Engineer (Civil, Mechanical or Electrical) supported by required Assistant Engineers (Civil, Mechanical or Electrical) and other support staff (Qualified in IT and related fields) form the IT Cell. The IT Cell will report directly to the Chief Engineer and may function either at the Chief Engineer’s office or in a distributed way in many offices of the department. IT Cell can also identify and assign duties to the staff of other HED offices to carry out the IT related operations, relevant to the particular office in which the staff is working or for HED as a whole.

1405 The Duties of IT Cell includes:
A. To coordinate* the installation** and maintenance*** of
(1) Computer hardware including HED’s centralized computer servers, desktop computers, laptop computers, tablets and other computing machines, projectors, printers, plotters, scanners etc.
(2) Local Area Networking, Internet Access and Wide Area Networks
(3) Security cameras, video streaming cameras and other digitized media systems
(4) Operating systems, third party software and software tools
(5) HED’s web sites, web applications, GIS, MIS, FMS and other software systems designed and maintained for HED.
B. To provide necessary training to all relevant staff in all of the above.
C. The implementation of e-governance and other IT related orders, directives and schemes put forward by the State and Central Governments.
D. Any other functions related to Information Technology.

1405.1 *In this contest, to “coordinate” means the IT Cell or any other office of the department may do the particular IT related purchases or work, but these shall be under the directive guidelines and concurrence of the IT Cell. In no case, purchase or usage of IT related hardware or software should be done by the sole decision of an office without the knowledge of IT Cell.

1405.2 **In this contest, “installation” means (a) Procurement of hardware, OS and third party software, (b) Development as in the case of software systems (including, software applications, web sites, GIS, MIS, FMS, Database, data collection, porting and data mining), as in the case of Networking – LAN, WAN, Internet, Media Streaming infrastructure and (c) Installing these systems for the day to day use of authenticated users including public and departmental staff as applicable.

1405.3 ***In this contest, “maintenance” means (a) Day-to-day system administration, content management, data collection/entry/updating, user management and the operation of the HED’s web portal, GIS, MIS and FMS (b) Overseeing and monitoring the implementation of IT services and e-governance in HED, (c) Co-coordinating and facilitating training activities related to the above, (d) Identifying the best-of-class practices followed within and outside the country in IT so that such measures as appropriate could be incorporated in HED.

1406 IT, MIS, FMS and GIS in HED: The sections 401 to 408 of Kerala PWD Manual deals with IT and MIS. Sections 501 to 503 deals with the FMS and Sections 801 to 812 deals with GIS.

1406.1 PWD is currently using the following IT systems.
a. Web based Information and Governance System (WINGS)
b. GIS based Road Information System (RIMS)
c. Road Maintenance Management System (RMMS)
d. Financial Management system (FMS)

1406.2 The above systems are specific to the requirements of Kerala PWD. Harbour Engineering Department through meticulous system requirement analysis and state wide discussion with its officers has formulated a unified program for advancement of harbour engineering administration and design (UPAHEAD) through IT and software systems. This system has the web based IT portal, MIS, GIS and FMS systems as integrated modules in it. The system also allows usage of government software applications common to all departments such as e-tendering portal, SPARK, PRICE, EMLY etc as well.

1406.3 The main modules in HED’s IT System called UPAHEAD are:
1. Project Module [All engineering matters, standard design repository etc]
2. Funds and Monthly Accounts
3. MIS and GIS Modules with Public Grievance and Suggestions facility [Management information data warehouse and reports through data mining. Opportunities for the public to address the department on their requirements and suggestions for projects]
4. Work Module [information and transactions on office communications, assigning duties, follow-up and review etc]
5. Establishment Module [information and transactions on employees’ posting, leave, service and establishment related matters]
6. Assets Module [Management of facilities under the department like guest houses, locker rooms, library, assets etc]
7. Employees’ Module [A module for the bringing harmony and better cooperation among employees through broadcast and transactions of linked web contents and personal communications]

1407 HED’s Comprehensive MIS and GIS Database System for the Coastal Area of Kerala

1407.1 A Comprehensive MIS and GIS Database System for the Coastal Area of Kerala, with a database of current information on the constructed environment, infrastructural, engineering and technical details on the coastal areas of Kerala, is indispensable for the functioning of a department like HED.

1407.2 The extreme necessity for the coastal area information database is constantly felt during the formulation of development schemes and programs. The development of the GIS system is extremely important before the adoption of almost all of the newly emerging technologies and developments like Integrated GPS & Radio Information Systems for marine fisheries.

1407.3 HED should have a GIS Database system, with the geo-referenced MIS data collected and presented data at the fish landing area level from the entire coastal areas of Kerala. Kerala’s 590 kms total coastline means about 300 landing areas (spots) along the coast. The entire set of data collected at each spot needs to be geo-referenced using GPS. The latitude and longitude (geo-coordinates) of the spot and tracked extents of areas and other details need to be noted. This data will be analysed in GIS Software to formulate the overall picture at the fishing village level, district level and the State level.

1407.4 The GIS system will consists of databases that can be updated on a regular basis to reflect the changes in the development scenario at the coastal areas. Data to be collected are:

A. Constructed Fishery Infrastructure near each spot:
1. Government Sector: Fishing Harbours, Fish Landing Centers, information on all component buildings in the FHs and FLCs present near the spot, other landing arrangements and buildings by local bodies, auction halls, public toilets, public water supply arrangements, hospitals, schools, ice plants, cold storages, offices of government departments and other agencies working in the coastal area etc.
2. Private Sector: Ice plants, cold storages, fish business centers, provision shops, fishing gear shops, fish processing centers, boat building centers, boat repair areas, workshops, diesel and fuel outlets etc.
3. Needs and demands from local fishermen for further development of fishery infrastructure at each spot

B. Roads and Transportation near each spot:
4. Government Sector: Coastal road networks – road name, width, length, connectivity and condition, bridges, culverts, parking areas, etc.
5. Private Sector: Actual toll collections from fish landing areas for vehicles, origin and destination of vehicles, vehicles owned and operated by nearby fishermen, travel details of fishermen and fishing gears between place of stay and place of work (harbours) etc
6. Needs and demands from local fishermen for roads and transportation near the spot:

C. Marine Conditions and Meteorological Details near each spot:
7. Approximate contours and topography of the land and the seabed from shuttle radar topographic mission and Aster Global Digital Elevation Models
8. Seasonal variation of littoral current directions, wave directions and maximum wave heights observed etc (as reported by local fishermen).
9. Presence of rocks in the near shore and offshore sea, submerged and outcropping
10. Seasonal variation of coastline – accretion, erosion etc
11. Details of river mouths – seasonal closing, migration of river mouth, discharge particulars
12. Details of shore protection works, wave overtopping areas, low lying lands, etc.
13. Details of availability of government land and puramboke (from local enquiry)
14. Satellite pictogrammetry of the coastal area, scaled and detailed with information
15. Streams and drains discharging in to the sea near the area
16. Seasonal Mudbank formation, history of mudbanks etc

D. Developments in Communication and Fishing Technology at the spot:
17. Use of wireless communications, GPS and fish finder echo sounders in boats
18. Use of various methods of fishing, nets and gears used for fishing
19. Depths and extents in the sea up to which fishing is carried out near each spot, detail of fish harvest from various areas in the sea.
20. Needs and demands from fishermen in communication and technology development

E. Details of Fish Landed at the spot:
21. Commercial Species wise landing quantity details. Seasonal availability of species. Species wise destination markets, Seasonal species wise boat side price,

F. Fishery Cooperatives, Committees and Societies:
22. Details of fishermen societies, action committees, cooperative bodies near the region

G. Fishing Craft Details:
23. Details of fishing crafts used at the region – types, sizes, numbers, seagoing personnel, number of fishing trips, catch composition, cost of crafts, fuel consumption, seasonal migration of fishing crafts to and from the area.
24. Concerns from fishermen regarding fishing crafts

H. Fish Marketing and Product Details:
25. Details of fish marketing at the spot – auction by commission agents, direct marketing, fish going to local markets, inland markets and for export, fish drying yards, dried fish products, fish processing, processed fish products, statistics of people engaged in processing and marketing activities
26. Need and demands from local fishermen in fish marketing and fish product industry

I. Demographic and Social Details:
27. Details of fisher folks – fishermen population, men, children, women, active fishermen etc (from fisheries dept statistics),
28. Demography: Percentage wise religions, sects, and communities working at a landing area. Seasonal migration of fishermen

1408 Portability of data in the GIS/MIS system:
1408.1 The GIS System and its databases will be developed in such a manner that the entire information database is totally portable across many platforms. This means the data can be used in any kind of GIS software systems, be it Open GIS or ESRI ArcGIS and other third party software.

1408.2 The data structure will be such that easy updating of data will be possible once the system is in place. Hence, the database and GIS system developed will be useful for decades and will reflect the changes and developments in the coastal area as they happen and entered in to the system.

1409 Data Collection for GIS/MIS system:
1409.1 The field data collection will be achieved by visits to the spot with a number of questionnaire and interviews with actual fishermen and officials associated with the coastal areas at each spot. For many data elements, data collection is to be done continuously at a spot every week/month for at least a full year to gather the seasonal fluctuations and variations in particulars.

1410 Continuous Upkeep and Development of GIS/MIS system:
1410.1 The initial GIS based MIS system development is to be done in phases. The first phase will consist of the compilation of information from various publications and government departments as well as private bodies. This data is available for a number of years from the past and hence the data can be utilized to analyse for future trends and tendencies in various fields such as landings, fish processing etc that is happening along the coastline. The second phase will consist of field data collection and incorporation of this data in the GIS system. Various analyses based on the correlations and intersections between development needs and other factors can be hence done. Once the existing data is incorporated in the database, the routine upkeep of the information will be done using two methods:
1410.1.1 Automatic data capture from UPAHEAD: As the officers use HED is web portal and UPAHEAD system for the routine works and communication in the department, the required MIS data will be identified and added to the database automatically by the system. Data from the work module regarding progress reports etc will also be captured and used in the MIS system.
1410.1.2 Periodic data collection and porting of data to the system: Many of the departments and agencies working in the domain of HED publishes valuable data annually or as compendiums. Examples are “Fact and Figures” by Fisheries Department, or publications of various NGOs. The relevant data from these publications as well as relevant data from direct field surveys and investigations may be uploaded periodically to the MIS database of HED.

1411 Presentation and Publication of Information from the GIS/MIS system:
1411.1 The results of GIS analysis and other data mining operations should be possible to be extracted as dynamic reports from the system. Also, GIS Analysis results should be possible to be presented as JPG Images. These images can be used in presentations and project reports.
1411.2 It may be possible to develop AutoCAD or other electronic format drawings at the fishing village levels with geo-referenced image of a satellite map of suitable resolution as background. The relevant GIS data collected such as roads, demand for roads and coastal infrastructure, AS/TS Obtained works, Progress of Works etc can be presented in various layers in this drawing. Engineers of the department should be able to download such drawings and the satellite image file relevant to their work to help in preparation of estimates and other required drawings for submitting.

1412 Harbour Management
1412.1 Apart from daily management of activities of a harbour, a major function of the harbour management should be the timely development of harbour facilities to reflect the changes in new technologies and the development efforts of the central and state governments. Hence the management of harbours should primarily be entrusted to HED, the dedicated department for harbour development in the state.

1412.2 Harbours under the department can be managed directly by the department or the management activities can be leased out to societies or individuals. The harbour as such or any infrastructural part of the harbour should never be handed over to any other agencies. Only the management activities, that too for a fixed period / interval such as yearly, should be leased out

1413 Functions of Fishery Harbour Management

1413.1 The main functions and objectives in the management of fishery harbours are
(1) To ensure food security (production/distribution) and food safety in the dietary marine fish consumption of the people and for the fish based industries and exports

(2) Manage and maintain the harbour for all weather use of fishing vessels.

(3) Proper administrative and strategic control over the fishing vessels using the harbour and movement of fishing boats in the sea surrounding the harbor
a. Administrative control of the movement of fishing boats across the Kerala coast
b.
c. Potential Fishing Zone data broadcasting to fishing vessels
d. Convey data regarding the channels etc to the boats through Software Defined Radio

(4) To provide convenient landing and auctioning facilities to the fishermen and avoid the exploitation of middlemen,

(5) To facilitate berthing, outfitting, repairing etc, of fishing crafts and mending of fishing gear and nets,

(6) To provide and maintain hygienic conditions in the pre-process states and handling of the fish catch to match international standards,

(7) To provide rescue and warning facilities against natural calamities such as tsumani to boats

(8) To provide Potential Fishing Zone advisory data broadcast to fishing vessels

(9) To render various other ancillary services required for proper functioning of a harbour like canteen, provision stores, rest sheds, locker rooms etc.

(10) To collect levis, tolls and other revenue from the users of the harbour.

(11) To facilitate necessary trainings and awareness programs for responsible fisheries

(12) To facilitate in the enforcement of laws and regulations regarding marine fishing such as trawl ban etc

1414 Fishery Harbour User Charges and Tariffs
1414.1 Kerala is the pioneering state in the introduction of toll in fishing harbours. Kerala government has stipulated the user charges and tariffs for various services offered in fishery harbours and landing centres of the state. The harbour management is required to follow these user charges and tariffs.

1414.2 User Charges and Tariffs are stipulated by the State Government and Applicable for All Harbours and Landing Centres. The responsibility of Revision / Waiving of Charges rests with the State Government

1414.3 It is possible to generate additional revenue which will not adversely affect the fishermen community and which may be happily accepted by the fish marketing and allied industry. A few of these revenue generating features are discussed below:

1414.4 User Fees: Though currently there is an entry fee to harbour at Rs. 1 to 2 Rupees per person for the public entering the harbour premises, this amount is very difficult to collect from the public as they think they are getting nothing for the money paid by them. Overcrowding and idling people without any purpose sitting and moving around in the fish business areas cause a lot of hindrance and pollution to the harbour atmosphere and fish products. If sufficient provisions like secluding the business area (which includes the landing area, auction hall, loading area and the parking area) with a gate and compound wall and providing shops, bike sheds, canteens and all other provisional items for the general public outside of this secluded area will make it easier to control the public entry in to the business areas. Once the business areas are seen well maintained and providing proper service to them, the harbour users entering the business area will become willing to pay user fees.

1414.5 Landing Fee: No charges are collected for the fish landed on the wharf even though there are charges listed in the government order. These charges need to be collected as the government has invested in constructing the infrastructure like wharfs required for this activity. But the amount cannot be collected in the present conditions because there is no mechanism controlling the vessel movements inside the harbour. This activity can only be controlled through the intervention of a harbour master and such a control needs to be established in allotting landing areas and movement of boats in and out of the landing area.

1414.6 Berthing Fee: Though currently there is an amount of Rs. 8/- per day as berthing charges, it is not possible to collect this amount due to various reasons. For example, boats berth together and when three or more boats are berthing side to side with only one boat berthing on the wharf, boat owners will find it unacceptable to pay berthing charges when they are berthing many boats together in a parallel way with only one boat berthed on to the wharf. Secondly, in practice, it would be very difficult to detain a fishing boat for not paying the meagre amount of Rs. 8/-. The solution to this problem is to collect the berthing fee for all boats using the harbour basin, on a monthly basis. The fee is being collected as a return of investment made by the government in constructing the breakwaters to form the tranquil basin which acts as the harbour of refuge and berthing / anchoring are of boats.

1414.7 Water Charges: Fishing boats require a lot of freshwater often 2000ltr or more per trip, apart from this, harbour workers also collect freshwater provided in the auction halls and wharfs. The pumping charges and other expenses in providing the freshwater to the harbour are considerable. Proper control of the use of freshwater in the harbour is essential so that freshwater is not wasted or misused by the users. Hence water charges as a revenue generating and control mechanism can be introduced.

1414.8 Ice – Crusher and Loader Charges: A business in the form of supplying ice to the fishing boats and also for the fish landed in the auction halls is operating in all fishing harbours. Whereas a license fee of Rs. 75 per month is collected from the ice sellers, this is grossly insufficient when compared to the income generated by the operation of ice crushing and loading units. Apart from this, a proper control of the ice crushers and conveyor loading system for ice needs to be established.

1414.9 Rent of Facilities: It is possible to invest in a number of modern equipment and facilities for proper fish handling and other harbour activities. Some examples can be pressure washers, fish dressing and cleaning machines, forklifts, packing units and so on. These facilities can be rented to the users by adopting charges for the use of these on a per hour basis, just like the cranes and other machinery in ports.

1414.10 Repair Facilities: Repair facilities to boats and other equipment used in fishing industry is required in all harbours.

1414.11 Crate Washing and Stacking: In most of the fishing harbours, a lot of space is occupied by the plastic crates used for storing fish. Apart from the stacking space requirement, these crates are also to be washed and cleaned properly. Though this is a considerably big business activity, no special facilities are provided for these and no revenue is generated from this. The charges collected can be on a per crate (box) basis for this.

1414.12 Recreational Fishing: Most of our fishing harbour can cater to the needs of Recreational Fishing. Angling and fish traps are some of the activities in the coastal recreational facilities, whereas sailing and outer sea multi-hook angle lines etc, form the recreational fishing for the serious types. It is possible to construct angling points and provide facilities required for the serious outer sea recreational fishing boats in the harbour. Charges per hour for the use of angling points, pole & line and the use of facilities will become a revenue generating part. Recreational fishing activities are to be promoted as a diversification measure for the fishermen to find a livelihood. FAO guidelines also suggest such alternate income options for the fishermen to ease the pressure on the exploitation of fish wealth.

1415 GPS Integrated Fishing Fleet Management System for Harbour Masters
1415.1 HED should have a GPS Integrated Fishing Fleet Management System for Harbour Masters. In this system, all fishing boats are required to install a GPS integrated small instrument by regulations. This instrument continuously transmits its ID number and latitude/longitude through radio frequency. This instrument also receives transmitted data from harbour master’s office regarding potential fishing zones, weather forecasting, hazard warnings etc
1415.2 Harbour Masters are to have a computer system where the current location of all fishing vessels, how many boats have moved out of the harbour or are approaching harbour (by installing a control mechanism that tracks the vessel movement at the entrance to harbour) etc can be easily displayed on a satellite map of the harbour and surrounding seas. The ID number of the instrument will help to get all the data regarding the vessel from the ID registration database.

1416 Application of HACCP system in fishery harbours
1416.1 Harbours vary a great deal in size and the quantities of fish they handle. Accordingly the hygienic requirements and the design of fish handling areas may vary considerably. Quite obviously the requirements of a small harbour or landing place where fish is landed, repacked in ice and distributed to the local market are different from the hygienic requirements of a large complex which includes fish processing of a variety of seafood and cold storage. In most fishery harbours where there is no seafood processing other than handling of fresh fish, all that is needed may be temperature and water quality controls besides encouraging a cleanliness ethic.

1416.2 Checklist for ensuring seafood safety
1. Landed fish should not be exposed to the sun and should be iced.
2. Inspect fish for appearance and odour and reject fish of unacceptable quality.
3. Periodically perform bacteriological tests on representative samples.
4. Follow a cleaning schedule for all work areas and surfaces, using water containing 5 to 10 ppm of free chlorine.
5. Remove all fish slime and blood by hosing down with chlorinated water. At the end of the day, rinse all surfaces with clean water having 5 ppm of chlorine.
6. Apply personal hygiene rules strictly to prevent contamination of fish. Smoking and spitting in work areas should not be permitted. Hands must be washed with bactericidal soap prior to handling fish and after a visit to the toilet.
7. Check that water supply and treatment systems are in order. Water and ice samples should be analysed as per testing schedule by ISO certified laboratories for levels of chemical and bacteriological contamination and potability certificates obtained.
8. The harbour should be free from litter and other wastes.
9. Check to ensure that all drainage systems are in good working order.
10. The harbour should be free of animals, rodents and pests.
11. Ensure that there are no bird nests in the fish handling area.
12. Check that wastes are being disposed of sanitarily.
13. Check cold storage equipment to ensure that the right temperature is being maintained.
14. Ensure that all precaution and warning signs are readable.