Nearly a kilometre-long sand wall, 10 inshore berms (groyens), and two offshore reefs have come up along the Someshwara-Batapady beachfront to protect the seashore from erosion.
The works are being undertaken by the Ports and Inland Water Transport Department under the sustainable coastal protection and management investment project being funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The project involves protection of the seashore from Ullal to Batapady and is divided into two areas —Ullal to Someshwara and Someshwara to Batapady.
Programme’s Joint Project Director Gopal Naik told The Hindu the results were already visible on the Ullal stretch while sand deposits were being witnessed on the Someshwara-Batapady stretch too. Some visible results should be available before the onset of monsoon on the Batapady stretch, he said.
While the offshore reefs and beach nourishment were being undertaken at a cost of ₹109 crore, the inshore berms are being undertaken at a cost of ₹26 crore.
Sand removed from the Gurupura (Phalguni)-Netravathi estuary was brought and dumped along the beach between Uchchila and Batapady forming a massive wall as a part of beach nourishment.
On the other hand, construction of two offshore reefs, about 600 m from the shore too, was completed. Concrete tetrapods were placed at their peripheries for protection of the reefs. At the same time, 10 inshore berms, each 70 m long, too were built from Uchchila to Batapady, Mr. Naik said.
Both the reefs and the berms are expected to break the velocity of the waves hitting the shore thereby reducing the damage and helping sand deposit on the beach, he noted.
While a local resident Batapady Abdullah had expressed doubts as to whether the sand wall would withstand the waves, Mr. Naik said it was natural for some quantity of sand getting displaced. However, the overall impact of the reefs, berms and sand walls would be that they help sand deposit along the coast helping beach rejuvenation, he noted.
