THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Reena Williams lives in constant fear of sea waves devouring her modest one-room house at Valiyathura, near the popular Kovalam beach, in Thiruvananthapuram. Reinforced with large boulders, a sea wall, in touching distance from the outer wall of her house, can lull one into a sense of security. But, it also serves to paper over the lack of a beach buffer along the coast in the area.
The presence of the sea wall, however, gives the 36-year-old little comfort. “The place where my original house once stood was taken by the sea three years ago. That house also had the protection of a sea wall,” she recalls. Her’s was part of the third row of houses in the area that was destroyed. A good number of her friends and relatives shifted to other locations they could afford. A Food Corporation of India (FCI) warehouse, near the Valiyathura pier, has since been the refuge of as many as 128 of the poorest families. All along the coast, which also happens to be Kerala’s most densely populated areas, similar stories of personal loss abound. The chief lament is for the disappearance of beaches that once stood as protection from nature’s fury.
Kerala found a spot on the world tourism map mainly on account of its famed beaches. But many of these beaches have eroded irreversibly. Nearly half of the 600km coastline has been affected, triggering concerns of large-scale rehabilitation in the years to come. Studies reveal that the state has suffered the second highest coastal erosion in the country after West Bengal.
Contributing factors
Coastal erosion is largely linked to climate change and man-made intervention. The scientific community is of the opinion that human mediation, in the form of construction of harbours, sea walls, breakwaters, etc, have made the coast more vulnerable to the impact of climate change. It is here that the importance of beaches is most felt.
“The world has realised the importance of beaches as a geomorphological feature that offers the best natural protection to the coast. The impact due to climate change is gradual and it can be further minimised by the presence of beaches. Our intrusions into the sea with structures, rather than climate change-induced tidal waves, are more to blame for sea-level rise,” says K V Thomas, a former scientist with the National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS), an autonomous research centre under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences.
Coastal erosion accelerated after efforts were made to modify the estuaries to facilitate harbours. Chellanam, in Ernakulam, experienced it in 1928 after the sand bar at the mouth of Kochi harbour was cut open. A similar intervention in Poonthura, Thiruvananthapuram, in 1970 accelerated erosion in Valiyathura and Shanghumugham. The coast is considered a continuum and any disruption at one location has its impact on the adjoining coast.A J Vijayan, founder secretary of the National Fishworkers Forum, says coast-saving measures have complicated the social and ecological problems associated with the issue of coastal erosion.
Kerala has 25 harbours, the most of any state. “Harbours were the result of a policy to promote mechanisation. When harbours resulted in further coastal erosion, people in those localities started demanding sea walls. When sea walls affected their livelihood, people demanded harbours so that they could take their boats out to sea,” said Vijayan. “Reduction in human intervention and rehabilitation of people are among the solutions to the issue,” he adds.
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Apart from harbours, sand mining has made the coast of Alappad, in Kollam, highly vulnerable. Moreover, the state’s coast has also undergone seasonal changes. The sand is moved during the monsoon months, which starts in June, and the beach-building process starts from October. This process gets interrupted by the untimely storms which have the capacity to alter the sediment transportation which impact the beach formation.
A recent study by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) found that climatic events, such as cyclones Ockhi and Tauktae, have accelerated coastal erosion.Furthermore, experts say the state is at increased risk as more storms are likely to be formed as sea temperature rises as a result of climate change. Due to global warming the average sea level is rising in the order of 1.5 to 10 mm every year. This is expected to rise 60 cm in the next century.
“When water level increases the waves get more reach. The presence of beaches with good berm height minimises impact. But impact of sea water rise is felt through low-lying areas of the backwaters. Even a gradual rise results in water inundation,” warns NCESS’ Thomas.