Funding blues for beach nourishment

Several agencies have promised to do their bit, but none has done anything concrete so far. The extension of the Container Terminal estimated at Rs.633 crore also needs huge amount of sand for reclaiming 34 acres.

Aggravated beach erosion between Visakhapatnam and 17 century Dutch township of Bheemunipatnam has set off a debate, but the call for nourishing the beaches has no takers as none is evincing interest to fund the project.

Not only sand shortage, as pointed out by the Visakhapatnam Port, has affected the fight against erosion, the disinclination of various agencies to fund the endeavour has turned out to be a dampener.

A senior port official told The Hindu that for the past 15 years or so they had been pumping out deposits from the ‘Sand Trap’, developed between the sunken ship and the breakwater near the Dolphin’s Nose, to nourish the beach near the Coastal Battery.

Sand shortage

The sand deposits are falling down in the recent years. At present, an estimated four lakh cubic metres is being used annually for nourishment.

The extension of the Container Terminal estimated at Rs.633 crore also needs huge amount of sand for reclaiming 34 acres. As the port says there is no sufficient sand at its disposal, proposals to evacuate boulders excavated for a cavern project at Lowa Gardens or sand quarry near Anakapalle are being discussed as alternative options.

The caving-in of a part of footpath near the Kursura Submarine Museum a couple of months ago led to engaging experts from IITs and Pune-based Central Water and Power Research Station to find out the reasons for beach erosion and sea surge.

The Visakhapatnam Port, on an average, spends Rs.20 crore on beach nourishment. After sea surge raised alarming bells in various quarters, the GVMC, the VUDA, and the port declared that they would take up the challenge of arresting erosion based on the recommendations of the experts familiar with harbour layout and constructions facing the beachfront.

So far, no agency has come forward with the offer of funding nourishment project.

Port blamed

When contacted, GITAM University president and former VUDA Chairman M.V.V.S. Murthi squarely blamed the port for the sea surge, saying massive constructions in the outer harbour had affected the tidal movements. He opined that the port should take up the responsibility to combat the threat of erosion.

Dredging Corporation of India Chairman and Managing Director Capt. D.K. Mohanty pointed out that they had proved that they had the ability to ‘recreate’ beach, and given an opportunity, they could nourish beach wherever they were asked to do.