The single major obstacle to finding a lasting solution to beach erosion is the absence of micro-level data on dynamics of the sea at the site of erosion.
Beach erosion is the result of complex interplay of the dynamics of waves, near shore currents, tides, sediment, bathymetry (bottom topography), coastal geometry, meteorological conditions and climate change, oceanography experts A.C. Narayana and Rao Tatavarti said.
“Today, no organisation in India has recorded data of the near shore dynamics at the micro level. For instance, the maps that are available are at best up to minute (one-sixtieth of degree) of longitude and latitude, which means a resolution of 1 mile. If we go by that data in the case of Ramakrishna Beach in Visakhapatnam, we might lose the entire Submarine Museum,” Prof. Tatavarti said.
The agencies that are supposed to be advising the government on the issue are at best working by extrapolating the data available in public domain with the resultant errors. This cannot offer a site-specific solution.
That is why these experts are proposing construction of seawalls or submerged barriers, Prof Narayana explained.
In US, Canada and other coastal nations, collection of near shore data is a normal feature, as it is essential for developing site specific solutions. While carrying out similar studies on near shore dynamics in Purakkad in Kerala and in Tuticorin and two had to deploy their own instruments for collecting the data, they recalled. On Monday they, along with professor of Indian Maritime University R.K. Patnaik, led a team of students and researchers in deploying highly sophisticated instruments at varying depths 150 metres from the beach to record sea parameters.
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