RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: Authorities have launched a pilot project to construct a one-kilometre-long protection wall using geotube technology at Pedamainavanilanka in West Godavari to arrest severe coastal erosion that has steadily destroyed shoreline villages.
The project at Pedamainavanilanka, known as PM Lanka, aims to curb sea ingress and protect coastal habitations that have lost houses, temples and large tracts of coconut and casuarina plantations over the years. Villages such as Chinnamainavanilanka, Biyyaputippa and Pedamainavanilanka have seen vast stretches of land swallowed by the sea.
Officials initiated the project following the intervention of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in 2022 to address acute shoreline erosion. Similar technology has been used in coastal stretches of AP, Tamil Nadu and Odisha.
West Godavari Collector C Nagarani said CSR funds worth `13.50 crore were sanctioned by Delight company for the project, though work faced delays initially. She said works began in May 2025 based on technical guidance from IIT Madras.
The Collector said Pune-based Garware company is executing the project and nearly 73 per cent of it is expected to be completed by February.
Coastal erosion in the Narasapuram region intensified after the 2004 tsunami, with villages like Chinalanka and old Biyyaputippa vanishing. The shoreline has moved from three kilometres to about one kilometre from PM Lanka. With 19 km vulnerable coast, authorities plan similar protections. It uses sand-filled geotextile tubes reinforced with stone gabions to withstand waves and changing sea conditions.