In what could be termed the Visakhapatnam city’s worst incident of beach erosion in recent times, sea surge continued for the third day on Friday leading to severe erosion of land mass under the footpath at many places along the Beach Road. While the area near the Kursura Museum was the most affected, portions of footpath collapsed towards the other side of the museum opposite the Youth Hostel. The police cordoned off one side of the beach road from YMCA till Jasti Square junction and have restricted the traffic movement.
Curious onlookers and tourists thronged the beach road throughout the day. Many expressed shock and disbelief after seeing half the road, including the footpath, washed away at some places. Huge boulders were being dumped throughout the day along the severely eroded parts of the road.
On Thursday, HRD Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao had visited the spot said that the phenomenon was being experienced due to changes in the weather.
While beach erosion has been a regular phenomenon in the coastal region, with every passing year, the threat has loomed large over the Vizag coast with erosion threatening to chew away major portions of the beach. The impact has been felt more strongly this year. While any coastal system is extremely dynamic and the process of erosion and beach formation is a continuous one, the scale of the erosion is reported to have been unprecedented during the last one year.
National Institute of Oceonography (NIO) Scientist in-charge V.S.N. Murty said that a team of scientists had collected the beach profile of the affected stretch and was expected to submit a report along with the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) of Pune in six months. “Now the wind speeds have subsided and waves will be suppressed. Further erosion may not be there in the next few days,” he said. He, however, said that highest tide would be there on Sunday and Monday.
‘Beach nourishment inadequate’The interim report submitted by CWPRS last year had said inadequate beach nourishment combined with the cyclonic conditions suffered by the beach may be the main reason for triggering of beach erosion. It is to be ensured that these stretches should not get starved of littoral material, and successful soft measure of sand by-passing, which has its technical significance, should be adopted regularly, the report said.
What the report saysReplenish loss of sediments and take measures to improve the availability of sand for bypassing from the sand trap at port
In the short term, combat erosion by adopting appropriate protection with available sand
Explore solutions that involve a combination of soft and simple hard measures like groyne field.
