Entire State to get 50-m-wide beach

The government has decided to preserve and maintain a 50-m-wide beach from one end of the State to the other as a buffer zone against coastal erosion.

Fisheries Minister J. Mercykutty Amma told the media here on Saturday that the families living on the vulnerable stretches of the coast would be relocated, leaving a natural beach free of constructions. The new approach marks a departure from the conventional strategy of constructing sea walls for coastal protection.

The action plan unveiled by the Minister involves the completion of the beach road stretching from the northern end of the State to the southern tip. The western side of the road would be preserved as a model beach without encroachments, while the other side would be used to relocate the families living on the beach. The missing links on the beach road would be completed in a time-bound manner.

Ms. Mercykutty Amma said the beach road would not only provide seamless connectivity along the coast, but also help to overcome the constraints posed by the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms to the construction of houses for fisherfolk. Buildings are permissible on the landward side of the existing road or roads approved in the coastal zone management plan in CRZ- 2 areas. Within five years, she said, Kerala would have an unspoilt beach, free of encroachments, from one end of the State to the other. It would also mitigate the damage caused to houses and property by high waves and reduce the risks to coastal communities.

The construction of seawalls had been the primary coastal protection strategy followed by the State since 1964. Ironically, seawalls have been blamed for the worsening erosion along the coast. A section of fishermen, scientists and environmentalists have long held that the construction of seawalls is unscientific and a colossal waste of public money. Sea walls render the beaches permanently unsuitable for tourism, beach-based recreation and shore-based fishing activities.

A sea wall hinders sediment travel, leading to severe erosion on its leeward side. It is the last option in beach protection and a costly proposition. Scientists maintain that the best protection strategy for the coast is to preserve the beach by distancing all development activities and creating a buffer zone for the interplay of sea and land.

Government's new solution to sea erosion goes against the traditional one of building sea wall