Visakhapatnam: High tides sweep away sand dunes in beach

Visakhapatnam: Heavy tides swept away the sand dunes in Rushikonda beach and even brought down some lampposts across the shore on Wednesday. Due to the rough sea conditions, the authorities had not permitted the tourists venturing into the beach. Several tourists from Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and other neighbouring states returned from the beach with disappointment.

The coastal erosion in Visakhapatnam has become a subject of discussion over the last few years. Some experts from Andhra University informed that the high tide activity would be generally rigorous during the southwest monsoon. “During the southwest monsoon, the wind activity forces even deep water to the shore, thereby creating more erosion. The direction of the wind activity decides which part of the beach is affected,” a professor from An-dhra University said.

Last year, the Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) had taken up temporary beach nourishment works in collaboration with the Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) with about Rs 13 crore, which expanded the beach area. But the shore area has been shrinking over the last few months again. Due to contrary opinions of two early agencies, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) had decided to embark on a comprehensive two-year study to stall the ongoing beach erosion in Visakhapatnam. Meanwhile, the GVMC would carry out the beach nourishment works in colllaboration with the  Visakhapatnam Port Trust in November and December.