THOOTHUKUDI: The Kulasekarapattinam seashore near Tiruchendur has been witnessing severe erosion in recent days. As the beach witnessed a similar catastrophe during the same period last year, the public has urged the state government to find a permanent solution to address the issue.
Residents fear that continued sea erosion could affect their hamlets and the adjoining beach where the Kulasekarapattinam Mutharamman temple conducts the Soorasamharam ritual during the Dasara festival.
Sources said the beach has been eroded for nearly one kilometre along the Vadakkur road, located between Kallamozhi and Manapad. An official said the coastline has been disfigured for more than a kilometre in the aftermath of the erosion, leading to damage to the children’s park built using government funds. The shelters and solar street lamps at the park have been toppled, he said.
The district administration had sanctioned Rs 5 lakh for constructing a compound wall around the park and recently tendered the project. However, the works have been stopped due to the damage caused by sea erosion, the official added.
Meanwhile, nearly 125 palmyra palms grown along the shore have been uprooted due to erosion, a villager said. “The Kulasekarapattinam Mutharamman temple is famous, and South India’s leading Dasara festival is celebrated here every year.
Even though the Kulasekarapattinam beach has been heavily eroded, the district administration has not paid attention comparable to that given to the Tiruchendur temple beach,” said a villager, requesting anonymity.
Villagers have urged the district administration to protect the shore by constructing retaining stone walls along erosion-prone stretches.
Activist S J Kennedy said the district administration must plant palmyra seeds along the coast in place of the fallen groves.
He added that the sea has advanced nearly 50 metres inland between Kayalpattinam and Veerapandiyapattinam (rural), and nearly 50% of the palmyra seeds planted during an awareness drive have been eroded. The administration must devise plans to find a permanent solution to prevent soil erosion in the future, he said.
District Environment Protection Movement coordinator V Gunaselan said beach erosion is severe along the Thoothukudi district coastline every November and December. The shore between Kayalpattinam and Veerapandiyapattinam (rural), Tiruchendur temple beach, and parts of Kallamozhi have been eroded.
Despite the National Green Tribunal (NGT) prohibiting man-made constructions inside the sea, such as groynes, the State continues to undertake them, resulting in erosion and accretion, he said. The district administration must take necessary steps to protect the beaches, he added.
Environmentalists said that the state government must focus on increasing suitable mangrove species along the beaches to mitigate wave energy, adverse impact of cyclones and storm surges.
Speaking to TNIE, Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary Environment Climate Change & Forests, said that the issue has been taken up for an expert opinion to mitigate coastal erosion. The erosion will not affect the blue flag beach certification process as the criteria is different. Based on the opinion, the state government will take necessary steps to fix the issue, she added.
It may be noted that the state government recently said the Environment, Climate Change, and Forests Department has been expediting the Blue Flag certification process for Kulasekarapattinam beach in Thoothukudi, along with other major beaches in Tamil Nadu.