Thiruvananthapuram: Major beaches hit by sea erosion

Thiruvananthapuram: The favourite weekend getaways - Kovalam, Veli and Shankumugham - of the state capital are in ruins following severe sea erosion making them out of bound for the public. The Tourism Department has imposed restrictions for visitors at Kovalam, Veli and Shangumugham following rough waves and sea advancement. At Shangumugham, the authorities have prohibited entry for visitors for a week.

Though the district administration and the tourism department have imposed restrictions, the lifeguards are having a tough time guarding and patrolling the coastline in the state capital with limited resources. Almost 8 months have gone by since the Life Guard Service placed a proposal to the government for putting up warning signage at various tourist spot to alert the tourist and visitors. "We have around 58 guards to patrol the beaches here. During monsoon it gets tough and it's practically not possible to guard the entire coastline. We don't get much help from the police. There are places which are unguarded and accessible for the public. We have restricted entry for visitors at Veli and Kovalam.  We have deployed many off duty lifeguards because of the situation," said a lifeguard.

According to the Major Irrigation Department a comprehensive study should be launched on the sea erosion before coming up with new projects. "We had raised the issue several times. Unscientific protection wall construction would ruin the beauty of beaches," said an official.