On Wednesday evening, as each wave crashed on to the shore, Kalpana, a homemaker in Srinivasapuram fishing hamlet, filled bags with sand from the beach. She was trying to save the wall of her house from the onslaught of the waves during high tide.
A length of about 500 m of the Srinivasapuram shoreline is strewn with portions of walls, nets, clothes and other household articles of families that had lived and lost their homes to the waves. Around 70 houses have been washed away by the sea and the residents have been rehabilitated.
The sea has turned rough as monsoon winds are strong. S. Balachandran, Director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, said these are wind generated waves. An upper air cyclonic circulation lies over northwest Bay of Bengal and West Bengal.
As the westerly winds are blowing towards it, the sea condition is likely to be moderate to rough along the Tamil Nadu coast. The weather system has brought changes in wind speed and direction, he said. The Meteorological Department has warned fishermen to be cautious while venturing into the sea off the Tamil Nadu coast on Thursday.
Relocation soon
Mylapore MLA R. Natraj and MP J. Jayavardhan, who visited the spot on Wednesday, directed the Collector to provide immediate relief to those who lost their homes. “Last year too, several houses were lost to the rough seas. It is a recurring problem. That stretch was damaged during the tsunami too. The only long-term measure is to relocate them and we will take steps towards that,” Mr. Natraj said.
Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar said the district administration has been directed to take steps to help the residents. As far as nets or boats damaged are concerned, the department would provide necessary assistance, he added.
A retired official of the Fisheries Department said the residents were encroachers and many were not fishermen. “The houses are on the beach, where all construction was banned after the tsunami. Houses were constructed for those affected during the tsunami. These are new settlers,” he pointed out.
