A major part of the house of 40-year-old Nebisa near the coast of Ullal has been washed away due to sea erosion. She and her 15-year-old daughter are now living in an adjoining house.
“We have been allowed to stay here for another 10 days. I do not know where to go next,” said Nebisa, who is worried over the loss of the house she has been living in after her marriage 22 years ago.
Nebisa lost her husband a few weeks ago following a heart attack. Her two daughters are married and she is now living with her younger daughter, who is in Class 10.
Nebisa is a resident of Kaico where several houses have been damaged following sea erosion this time. “The sea waves used to come near our houses in the earlier years. This is the first time in the last two decades that waves have hit our dwellings hard,” said 77-year-old Yousuf. He blamed ill-designed breakwater and reef for the damage.
Since the last one week several houses, shops and the masjid near Kaico have been damaged. “On Tuesday, as my daughter was leaving for school around 9 a.m., the waves lashed with such force that a part of the kitchen and bedroom was swept away,” Nebisa said and added that a crater has been formed at the place once where a portion of her house existed. The Port authorities have since Wednesday taken up the work of levelling this portion and other parts eroded by the sea by filling it with boulders.
Deputy Commissioner K.G. Jagadeesha, who has gone around the areas affected by sea erosion, said that a proposal has been sent to the State government for the release of funds for immediate works. Compensation will be given to residents of the houses that were damaged by sea erosion.
Assistant Executive Engineer, Ports, Prakash Dollin said that Kaico, Hillary Nagar and Subash Nagar areas have been identified as “very sensitive” for sea erosion. Work to lay boulders to prevent impact of big waves was on. He said that action was being taken to prevent likely damage to a few houses in Someshwar too, he said.
