Of Puducherry’s disappearing beaches and need for restoration

PPH and PondyCAN screen film, hold discussions about eroding natural heritage

Aurofilio Schiavina, on behalf of PondyCAN, discusses about the disappearing beaches at Storyteller's Bar in Promenade on Saturday; Pondicherry Heritage Festival throws light on natural heritage of Puducherry through film India's Disappearing Beaches at Storyteller's Bar in Promenade on Saturday.

If you have been closely following Pondicherry Heritage Festival from January 18 and taken part in some of the several activities conducted over the past two weeks, you would have explored the many architectural and cultural heritages of this coastal town.

Inside the Storyteller’s Bar on Tuesday afternoon, People for Pondicherry Heritage (PPH) decided to screen a film and talk about the precious part of coastal region often overlooked – beaches.

Sunaina Mandeen of PondyCAN and PPH narrated an incident where a question on what is the natural heritage of Puducherry was posed to children, to which a child’s reply was beach. “It is worrying that this precious natural heritage of the coastal town is fast disappearing. At this juncture, it is important to share once again the information about disappearing beaches,” informed Sunaina to the audience before the film ‘India’s Disappearing Beaches’ was screened.

Explaining how sand is formed and journeying from the years of sand beach before the port was constructed in Puducherry to the time boulders filled up the eroded spaces along the promenade, ‘India’s Disappearing Beaches’ shed light on the eroding natural heritage in the prime area of Puducherry. Leading the discussion on the film on behalf of PondyCAN, Aurofilio Schiavina said: “It is not about the beaches alone but the lives that are connected with it. Fishermen dock their boats on sand beaches, it is the place where turtles come to lay eggs and birds rest. The important part is to restore the beach and everything that goes with it.”

He added that the port constructed in 1986 disrupted the sand movement leading to accumulation of sand in the southern side and erosion on the northern side. “At least 10 km stretch of pristine beach has been eroded. Rocks were deposited along the beach and groyne created. But these are just knee-jerk reactions and not permanent solution to restore beaches,” he said.

He added that 300 new ports along Indian coast for every 20 km are being planned, which was going to trigger erosion on a scale never seen before. “Sea erosion in this part is a man made phenomenon. We are not only losing buildings, there is lurking danger of the foundation of the town being eroded and groundwater turning saline. Though beach restoration project has given hope, it has to be continued till the beaches are restored,” he said.