THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The long-pending project to protect the 6.1-kilometre-long red laterite cliff at Varkala — which has been facing destruction owing to sea erosion and CRZ violations — is finally gaining steam with the National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS) finishing the pilot study.
According to official sources, NCESS will submit the study report, which aims to take steps to protect the unique sedimentary geo-morphological structure, in December. Frequent caving in of earth has inflicted severe damage to the cliff which is touted as one of the Geological Heritage Sites in the world.
The Rs 1.82-crore study, funded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), is being carried out jointly by the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) and NCESS since 2019.
The plan is to upgrade the destination into a Geo Park approved by Unesco. The Vision Varkala Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (VIVID) has already submitted the expression of interest to Unesco to turn the destination into the first-ever Geo Park in the country. Currently, there are around 160 Unesco-approved Geo Parks in the world.
Managing director of VIVID V Ramachandran Potty told TNIE that the study is in the finishing stages and the report would be ready by next month. He said the geological relevance of the cliff is immense. It was declared a Geo Heritage Site under the Geological Survey of India in 2014.
“There is an urgent need to protect the cliff. Once the report is ready, we would initiate steps to get funds from the Union ministry under the Coastal Area Protection Scheme to protect the cliff. The project would be funded jointly by the state and the Centre. The state government is giving utmost priority for the project. We don’t expect any further delay,” said Potty. He said they are in constant touch with Unesco to upgrade the destination into a Geo Park.
“Geo tourism is something we are planning to explore as it has huge prospects. We will be able to woo geo scientists, tourists and experts from across the globe to Varkala. They will get the opportunity to explore, study the aesthetics and geology of the structure which was formed 23 billion years ago. We submitted the expression of interest proposal to Unesco in June. We have submitted proposals to the Global GeoPark Network too. We are getting positive response from all quarters as the geological relevance of the cliff is huge. Only the Netherlands has got cliffs similar to Varkala in the world,” he added.
Puducherry and Karnataka have managed to get funds from the ministry under the coastal protection scheme. “We are expecting a minimum of `150 crore for the project as Puthucherry and Karnataka managed to get similar or more funds. Unesco also has promotional funds for Geo Park projects. We had made a presentation on Varkala at a Unesco meet held in Canada,” said Potty.
CRZ violations rampant
Rough waves, lack of amenities and rampant encroachment have ruined Varkala, one of the popular tourism destinations in the state. There are around 160 resorts at Varkala and, according to sources, more than 10% of them are located on the cliff constructed violating CRZ norms. Recently, Varkala municipality served notices on around 360 illegal structures at Varkala which were constructed violating CRZ norms.
“We carried out a survey and found 364 illegal structures. We have served them with notices and stop memos. Some of the structures were demolished too. We have constituted special squads to keep a tab on illegal constructions at Varkala Beach and in cliff areas,” said municipal secretary Saji L S.
Despite all these efforts, temporary structures are mushrooming at Varkala. MLA V Joy said that there should be better intervention to stop construction. “Several illegal constructions have come up. We need to make sure that there are no new constructions. We have already taken it up with the district collector to mark the CRZ boundaries. The municipality can take action against the existing violators,” said the MLA. He said constant follow-ups are being made to keep track of the project to protect the Varkala cliffs and the study took more time than expected.
Study costs Rs 1.82 cr
The Rs 1.82-crore study, funded by the MoES, is being carried out jointly by the National Centre for Coastal Research and NCESS since 2019. The plan is to upgrade the destination into a Geo Park approved by Unesco. VIVID has already submitted the expression of interest to Unesco to turn the destination into the first-ever Geo Park in the country
Rough waves, lack of amenities and rampant encroachments have ruined Varkala, turning it unsafe for tourists. To protect the cliff and convert the destination into a Geo Park, National Centre for Earth Science Studies will submit its study report next month