Sea surge: Writing was on wall

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, Feb 3, 2014: Visitors to the beach were left shell shocked when the footpath around the beach caved due to strong waves. In fact, residents of the apartments on the beach road ate spending sleepless nights due to the sudden surge in the sea.  

But the fact remains that it was not a sudden phenomenon and is the result of continuous negligence of the authorities. Despite knowing that sea erosion is a natural occurrence in any coastal city, the authorities failed to take up the log due beach nourishment activities.

Beach nourishment would have clearly avoided the panic moments now beach road residents are experiencing.

 Every year, the Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) does the dredging to clear its channel at Dolphin’s Nose through Dredging Corporation of India (DCI). The DCI which has expertise in dredging has been dumping the dredged sand along the coast near Coastal Battery and Varun Beach. The replenishment of sand along those beaches has prevented erosion.

 “DCI has been dredging around 2 lakh cubic meters near Dolphin’s Nose for VPT and the sand is dumped or replenished near Varun Beach. No body has approached us to do beach nourishment on large scale though we have expertise in doing the job effectively. Some millions of cubic meters needed to be dredged and dumped near the vulnerable areas along the beach road,” DCI, CMD, DK Mohanty told this correspondent.

Some experts pointed that the geo tubes and installing bunds are of temporary arrangement and there is an urgent need for a detailed study on the sea erosion issue involving various agencies for a long term solution.

They have also pointed that- deep-sea survey, bathymetric study and wave-pattern study, hydraulic and coastal studies, wave modelling and hydro-dynamic modelling to see the viability of beach nourishment has to be done.

“We understand that what we are doing now is a temporary arrangement and for the permanent measures and to find solutions we are sending a team to Pune to meet experts of Central Water Power and Research Station (CWPRS).  We will take up permanent measures after consulting the CWPRS experts,” GVMC Commissioner, MV Satyanrayana told this newspaper.

CWPRS has earlier prepared report on Dadar beach nourishment in Mumbai.  Vizagites have to wait for at least one more year even if the authorities entrust the job of beach nourishment along the beach road to the DCI. Sources in DCI said that dredging or beach nourishment can only be taken up during Dec-Jan- Feb and for that one has to wait till next year.

Vizag beaches topography is far more different than many coastal cities of the country. Vizag’s continental shelf breaks very near to the coast, at a distance of 50-70 meters and has a sudden steep descent into depths of about 200 meters unlike many other coastal
cities which have continental break at more than 130 meters from shore line and have a
very gradual descent of the slope till sea bed.