CHENNAI: Beach-facing luxury bungalows, which once offered an enviable view of the sandy beaches of Muttukadu, are now abandoned and on the verge of collapse. Part of an unauthorised project to develop the beachfront by rich individuals, they now have the waves breaching the compound walls. High tides reach way inside the residential complex, while smaller structures like servant quarters have been destroyed.
Poetic as it is for these structures that were built in violation of environment laws, the devastation witnessed at Muttukadu is unprecedented and rapid enough to raise an alarm in Chennai, just 30 km away. In less than a year, about 400 metres of the beach has vanished, with the situation worsening each passing day, taking a toll on the local ecosystem.
All this, experts say, is because of the ill-conceived, unauthorised coastal engineering project undertaken by the State fisheries department, to construct a ‘groyne field’ after fishermen in neighbouring Kovalam village complained of sea erosion.
After Express reported in April 2016 how the work had commenced without an environment impact assessment study or environment clearance from the State and Centre, both mandatory, the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal stayed the project and directed fisheries department to immediately remove them. However, the order was ignored and five groynes built.
Experts say this changed geodynamics and natural sediment movement, accelerating sea erosion from a natural phenomenon to a rapidly-unfolding man-made disaster that has affected about 3 km beach on the northern side of the groynes towards Chennai.
At this rate, the sea will swallow entire lagoon
Muttukadu is highly eco-sensitive, with one of the largest brackish-water lagoons bisecting ECR and the sea. CIBA runs an experime-ntal station, where J200 cr worth research work is underway. If erosion continues at this pace, the sea will swallow the entire lagoon
Muttukadu-Kovalam bar mouth almost shut
Groynes cause a sand build-up at the Muttukadu-Kovalam bar mouth, where Buckingham Canal drains water into the sea. Tonnes of sand accumulates between the groynes, blocking the mouth. In the absence of periodic dredging, the water is now just knee-deep
Facing flak, the experts at IIT Madras, the technical consultant which recommended the groyne field, blamed it on the non-completion of the project.
“Unless all the eight groynes as per the original design we submitted are laid, the downstream would continue to erode. Such projects can’t be stopped mid-way,” said SA Sannasiraj, head, Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras.
Sources told Express that fisheries department has managed get the Coastal Regulation Zone clearance from Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority, and are awaiting clearance from Union environment ministry before going ahead with the project. However, an internationally-acclaimed environmental engineer, on condition of anonymity, said the groyne field itself is a flawed concept.
“The lengthy groynes built in either side of Muttukadu-Kovalam bar mouth has completely blocked the sand transport from south to north. The IIT design doesn’t allow sand to pass. Without the source of sand, the entire northern stretch will suffer and the cascading effect can be felt for several kilometres in the long run. The erosion would be intense between May to August when the longshore drift of sand is at its peak due to oceanic conditions,” the expert said.
However, when asked, a senior official from the fisheries department said removing groynes would not be the solution and in fact would cause further environmental damage.
“We initiated the project to protect the Kovalam village. But yes, it was a mistake to start without prior clearances,” the official admitted.