RAMANATHAPURAM: As soil erosion continues to trouble the residents of the coastal village of Kannirajapuram, the Ramanathapuram district administration is planning to initiate temporary measures to resolve the issue. Over 300 fishermen families reside in Kannirajapuram located in the Kadaladi block.
During every high tide season, the village faces severe soil erosion issues, and the recent such incident had damaged the local village cemetery. Though the villagers had submitted various petitions to officials and politicians flagging the long-pending issue, no measures were taken, sources said.
Stating that a recent high tide had caused the sea water to erode into the shore, Perinbam, a local fisherman from Kannirajapuram, opined, "Initially, the boundary wall of the cemetery got washed away, and later on the graves started getting eroded away one-by-one due to increased soil erosion. Several buried coffins have begun to be exposed, and we have reburyed many others."
He further said that the villagers had repeatedly submitted petitions seeking remedial action, but in vain. "As restrictions were imposed against public gatherings in the wake of Guru Pooja and Jayanthi festivals, villagers could not stage protests. Though we placed sand bags in the shores to prevent soil erosion, the issue persists causing hardships for the locals," he added.
Speaking to TNIE, District Collector Simranjeet Singh Kahlon said that a proposal seeking a permanent solution has been sent to the state government. "As a temporary measure, we are planning to conduct small interventions at a cost of around Rs 1.40 crore under the Nammakku Naame Scheme. Immediate action will be taken to prevent the issues using temporary measures and once the proposal gets approved and fund is allocated, a permanent solution, which is the construction of backwater can be carried out in the area," the official said.