MANGALURU/UDUPI/KARWAR : While the onset of monsoon brings smiles on the faces of many as it means prosperity for them, it’s pain and destruction for thousands of others living on the sea shores of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts. Rough seas gobble houses, trees and fishing boats, forcing people to move from their homes.
A study on sea erosion conducted by Prof. KS Jayappa, chairman, the Department of Marine Geology, Mangalore University, states that of the 300 km shoreline in Karnataka, 40 per cent of 30 beaches are affected by sea erosion. Ullal beach in Mangaluru is losing more than 1 metre of shoreline every year.
Prof Jayappa says a large quantity of sediment is dredged for various developmental activities, including concrete roads, multi-storied apartments etc for which a lot of sand is being utilised. This has led to a drastic reduction in the source of sediment, also because of the construction of vented dams.
“These dams, apart from storing water, also hold back sediment which otherwise would have reached the shore and come back to the beaches through the wave activity. Human interference, such as construction of seawalls, ports, harbours and encroachments, are also some of the reasons,” he adds.
In Mangaluru, of the 40 km coastline, around 15 km from Someshwara to Sasihitlu is vulnerable to sea erosion. Someshwara, Batapady, Ullal, Meenakaliya, Chitrapura, Surathkal Lighthouse, Mukka, Hosabettu and Sasihitlu constantly bear the brunt.
Officials of the Department of Ports (now, Karnataka Maritime Board), Mangaluru claim that they have built permanent seawalls using huge boulders for about 9 km of the affected 15 km coastline. As an immediate measure, the government has been constructing temporary sea walls worth Rs 20 lakh every year in most affected seashores in Mangaluru, as recommended by the Karnataka Engineers Research Station (KERS). With the help of an ADB aid, onshore, offshore and inshore berms have been constructed in Ullal and Someshwar, and a proposal has been sent to install sea wave breakers around Ullal.
Seawalls prevent erosion only temporarily. Experts say spending money on them is a waste, while some environmentalists suggest relocating people residing within 200 metre of the high tide line. “Many unauthorised guesthouses have been built in violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules and they need to be demolished.
As per the CRZ norms, no structure should be built within 500 metres of the shoreline, but authorities have failed to take action. The real sufferers are fishermen who have been living there for decades. But non-fishermen build structures, despite being aware of the danger, only to claim compensation from the government. CRZ rules should be enforced strictly,” says an environmentalist.
So far, sea erosion has claimed over 100 houses of fishermen and private structures built along the coast in Mangaluru. This year, the Dakshina Kannada district administration is keeping a close watch on Subhashnagar, Batapady, Uchila and Kaiko in Ullal and Sasihitlu, Mukka. Two dozen houses are in danger in Ullal and the local administration has urged the residents to shift to safer areas.
Rajivi, a widow living with two children in Batapady near Mangaluru which is the worst affected by sea erosion in Ullal, is yet to get full compensation from the government forcing her to live in a rented house for over a year now.
Residents at Meenakaliya on the outskirts of Mangaluru who are affected by sea erosion like every year are taking temporary measures amid raging waves of the Arabian Sea hitting the shores and damaging their houses and properties. There are around 250 houses at Meenakaliya in Baikampady, one of the beaches in Mangaluru affected by sea erosion.
Earlier, the Department of Ports had sent a proposal to install a sea wall similar to what was implemented in other areas affected by sea erosion. But the residents who are traditional fishermen had objected, saying they would not be able to anchor their boats if a sea wall is built. Instead, the locals at Meenakaliya have urged the authorities to install a Maravanthe-model breakwater system.
How to prevent sea erosion?
Prof Jayappa says beaches act as cushions and they are the playgrounds for waves. “We need to retreat as much as possible. Instead of sea walls, we need to go for green walls, using casuarina trees or ipomoea biloba, a creeper, or salt-tolerant plants,” he says.
In Udupi, though sea erosion has not started because of the low intensity of rain this monsoon, the threat looms large at several spots, mainly Maravanthe, Kota and Kaup. People’s representatives from different parties have visited the spots in the past here, but nothing tangible has been done to protect the land and houses of those residing near the shore. The absence of sea walls in Maravanthe causes a loss of around 50-60 metres of area every year. Last year, over 200 coconut trees were engulfed by the sea here. The road which got damaged last year is still not repaired. Around 70 houses here are located very close to the sea.
The then CM Basavaraj Bommai visited Maravanthe in July last year, but nothing has changed as officials have not taken any steps to build the protection wall. Nagaraj Kharvi, a resident of Maravanthe, says that around 200 coconut trees were lost to the sea in the past, but the department concerned does not consider it a major issue. “We don’t know whom to approach to find a permanent solution,” he adds.
Local fishermen, who have a better knowledge of the sea and its behaviour, say that a ‘T’ shaped breakwater (similar to those built at Maravanthe Beach) system on the north side of Maravanthe outer harbour would be a permanent solution. Officials in the ports and fisheries department say that the construction of such a system would need Rs 12 crore. Uday Kumar, an engineer from the department in Udupi district, says it may have to be constructed for around 1 km. A proposal has been sent to the government, he adds.
The then Fisheries, Ports and Inland Water Transport Minister S Angara had said last year that ‘duck foot technology’ may be suitable for places like Maravanthe to prevent sea erosion. He had said it would be implemented, but officials have not yet prepared a feasibility report. Now that the new government has come to power, it is to be seen how the issue will be tackled.
As a natural remedy, species of mangroves like Rhizophora mucronata, Avicenniaceae, Bruguiera, Sonneratiaceae Sonneratia among others are grown with the help of forest department in various parts of Udupi district. To some extent, these mangroves have helped in curbing sea erosion. But more research into this has not taken place. In Kota of Udupi, seaside residents are scared that their lives will be impacted by sea erosion as seawall is broken in some areas here. People in Kota, Kota Thattu and Kodi gram panchayats say they are affected by sea erosion, but people’s representatives are silent on the issue.
Annappa Kunder, a resident of Kodi, says that except the assurances given by officials, nothing has changed as every year they fear the wrath of sea erosion. Temporary sea walls, being built in bits and pieces since early 2000s, have covered 95 km along Udupi and Mangaluru coasts. But the impact of sea erosion has not reduced. Though Rs 300 crore, funded by the Asian Development Bank, has been spent on sea walls, the results are not satisfactory, officials admit.
In Uttara Kannada district, villages around Majali, Devbagh, Harwada and Rabindranath Tagore beach in Karwar taluk, Mavinkurve, Pavinkurve in Kumta, parts of Honnavar and Bhatkal have been witnessing sea erosion. Fishermen fear losing their livelihoods because of rough seas. “There is no rainfall this year, but sea erosion has already started. We only hope our livelihoods will not be affected,” said Govind Ambig.
At Harwada, many houses are inundated and fishermen are living in fear. The area has been witnessing sea erosion for years. All our houses are on the beach. No fencing has been done so far. We have submitted many petitions to the government, but no action has been taken. Every year, the sea is eating into the land. If it continues, all our houses will perish,” said Roshan, a fisherman at Majali.
Minister for Ports Mankal Vaidya has said the government is geared up to reach out to people in case any cyclone turns severe. “We have already begun our preparations. I have conducted a meeting with officials to prepare for the cyclone. The health and energy departments have been put on high alert. We will respond to all the problems of the fishermen,” he says.