As feared by residents, the sand wall built by the administration to protect the fisheries road from sea erosion got completely washed away and it is a matter of hours before the road too gets swallowed by the raging waves of the Arabian Sea at Batpady on Karnataka-Kerala border, South of Mangaluru.
Last month, the residents feared that there may be another disconnect as the road was facing a threat from natural elements.
Also, the residents had remained cut off from the mainland for almost six months from August last as the road was completely washed away.
A temporary road along with sand wall was built in February this year.
With monsoon regaining momentum in the last week, high waves have begun to swallow whatever is remaining at the location.
Batpady Abdullah, who has been time and again approaching the authorities concerned in connection with the issue, said that instead of wasting lakhs of rupees on the sand wall, the authorities could have built two more horizontal groyens into the sea close to the Kerala border.
About 10 groyens have been built from Uchchila till near Batpady end-point leaving about 500 m of beach stretch near the State border, where the sand wall was built, he said.
Mr. Abdullah said that the beachfront where groyens and two off-shore reefs have been built are relatively safe while the end-point has taken the brunt of sea erosion. Sand is getting deposited in-between the groyens in this region and this may not have happened, if two more groyens were built at the far-end.
The Ports and Inland Waterways Department then erected a sand wall for more than one kilometre from Uchchila till Batpady end-point sourcing sand from dredging the Netravathi-Phalguni river mouth near the Mangaluru Old Port.
Now, Usman, whose house is close to the eroded road, is now fearing losing it, along with that of his neighbours too.
