DREDGE SPOIL DISPOSAL OFF KAVARATTI-ISLAND, LAKSHADWEEP, INDIA

Maintenance dredging has been carried out along the navigational chann el at Kavaratii island and dredge spoil is disposed in the open sea. T his paper describes the movement of sediment plume while dredging and disposal. The study indicates that for the present disposal location, the sediment plume settles down before reaching 50 m water depth, wher eas shifting the disposal location to a distance of 1000 m from the re ef, would cause the sediments to settle down before 200 m water depth. The study confirms that there is no settlement of dredge spoil in the lagoon bed or on the reef.