All options need to be considered for dealing with sea erosion which is caused by a number of factors, Deeptha Thattai, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering at SRM University, Chennai, has said.
Ms. Thattai, who has co-authored Feasibility Study of Coastal Erosion in Karnataka , was speaking at the release of the report here on Wednesday.
The study was carried out under the aegis of the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry for over three months.
Stressing that sea erosion is a natural phenomenon, Ms. Thattai said that over the last 15 to 20 years the problem had become “extremely serious”. During this period, Karnataka's coastline had receded by nearly 200 m, with severity of erosion increasing southwards from Honnavar in Uttara Kannada district, she said.
Construction of buildings within 500 m of high-tide line, ports and breakwaters had blocked the natural movement of sand across the coast. Other human activities such as destruction of mangroves had aggravated the problem, she said.
Ms. Thattai said that mangroves were an important part of the ecosystem and attempts to re-grow them in places where they had been destroyed had proved difficult.
While conducting preliminary research, Ms. Thattai said she did not come across any study which had considered all factors responsible for sea erosion.
She said there was a need for a study that considers movement of winds, waves, ocean currents, rivers in the region, and tides, besides the impact of human activities.
Environment impact
“There is no single way to control sea erosion. Measures to control erosion should be a mix of both hard and soft processes.” There was a need for a comprehensive environment impact assessment of future projects such as construction activities at ports, upgrading of ports and dredging of fishing harbours.
Proposal
The feasibility study also includes a proposal to undertake a detailed study of the issue over three years at a cost of Rs. 1.15 crore.
