Kovalam groynes raise soil erosion

Chennai: A hundred meters of beach land to the North of Kovalam has been lost to the sea, five months after the state fishery department constructed groynes here, without seeking prior environmental clearance from Tamil Nadu State Coastal Management authority (TNSCMA).

The violation in the form of the rock structures lies rooted on Kovalam beach, despite Southern bench of National Green Tribunal ordering its removal. The man-made structures, constructed following the request of the local fishermen, could have temporarily stopped erosion at Kovalam, but the ripple effect was felt at beaches towards the city.

Ajith, a Kovalam-based fisherman told Deccan Chronicle that the groynes were inserted as a solution to the soil retention that occurred for three consecutive years. “Erosion was intense at Kovalam last year. We were scared that the ocean would go deep and the cove formation would be affected. We approached the department as it would affect the fishing activities,” Ajith said in justifying their move.

It was an irony that the structures were erected at the cost of Rs 18.30 crore, even before obtaining permission from the Coastal Zone Management Authority. Based on the minutes of the 90th meeting of the TNSCZMA on August 3, the regulatory body recommended considering the project only after the work was completed.

“The authorities have been watching this illegality, in spite of repeated representations about the dangers of building hard structures, the work has continued. Even after losing 100 meters of pristine beach land, there seems to be no movement within the regulatory bodies to stop this madness,” said Nityanand Jayaraman of Coastal Resource Centre.

“Sandy Beaches are formed due to natural movement of ocean movement and wind. Construction of Groynes affects the movement of wind current and prevents the deposition of drifting beach sand. All over the world, the move proved only to be an unnecessary expense and a waste of public money,” said Environmental Engineer, C. Easwar, adding that the port construction in Pondicherry on groynes have affected the once sprawling beach into a narrow coastline strip.