Paying a visit to the tsunami memorial built in memory of 15 people who died in the natural disaster on December 26, 2004 at Pottisubbaiahpalem in Vetapalem mandal has become a regular practice for fishermen. They pray the Sea Goddess everyday before venturing into the sea for their safe return from fishing.
Now, not only the fishermen but also their villages are facing a major threat in the form of soil erosion. Several coastal villages in Prakasam and Guntur districts are vulnerable to it. According to officials, 35 villages of the total 77 located along the coast in Prakasam and 20 of the total 36 coastal villages in Guntur district are facing the soil erosion threat. These villages are dangerously close to the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ), said deputy director of fisheries K Balarama Krishna Murthy.
The seashore has come more close to Pallepalem village in Kothapatnam mandal. The seashore is within 400 metres at some points in our village, said Kokkilagadda Narayana, president of the Fishermen’s Society. If the sea surges further, more villages will come under the CRZ in near future in the two districts. The main reason for the development is that the sea erosion has changed its direction towards south, said G Venkaiah, a fisherman, after observing the surge for many years. If the villages come under the CRZ (200 metres from the High Tide Line), the villagers have to stop construction of houses and ultimately they have to leave their habitation.
The distance between the seashore and the fishermen’s habitations in Ramayapatnam, Karedu, Kothapatnam, Eetamukkala, Gundammala, Gundaipalem, Mekalasomaipalem, Katarivaripalem, Kodurivaripalem, Chinnamgaripalem, Pedaganjam, Chinnaganjam, Rudrambapuram, Kataripalem, Ramapuream, Vadarevu and Lakshmipuram villages in Prakasam district which was 1.5 km six years ago, has come down to half km now.
If the CRZ is implemented, people of more than 35 villages in Prakasam district and 20 villages in Guntur district need to be evacuated.