KCCI feasibility study explores solutions to sea erosion

KCCI feasibility study explores solutions to sea erosion

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, July 1, 2010: A feasibility study of long-term and short-term solutions to Mangalore’s sea erosion problems was initiated by the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry as a corporate social responsibility project undertaken to commemorate its 70th anniversary.

 

 

Deeptha Thattai, the assistant professor of the department of civil engineering of SRM University in Chennai, said that a mixture of hard and soft options is required to address the problem of sea erosion. She also stressed the importance of undertaking development activities such as ports only after conducting relevant Environment Impact Assessment studies. She was addressing the media on the topic “Feasibility Study of Coastal Erosion in Karnataka” on Wednesday.

Prof. Thattai also said that the soft options such as removal of constructions on the beach, reclaiming the beach, and planting trees as well as hard options such as construction of sea walls must be judiciously explored because hasty intervention can transfer the problem to another area. She suggested the examination of problems areas thoroughly via data collection.

Prof. Thattai expressed regrets over the fact that the problem of sea erosion has neither been documented nor studied despite the fact that 70 percent of Karnataka’s coastline is prone to sea erosion.

Defining sea erosion as a “natural phenomenon accentuated by human intervention,” she said that the problem should be tackled on a long-term basis. She stressed the importance of assessing legal as well as illegal sand mining activities because sediment assists in breaking the force of sea waves and, in the absence of sand, the sea just claims more land.

DC V. Ponnuraj said that human activities have aggravated the problem of sea erosion. Stressing the need to develop respect for nature, he said that the state has sent a comprehensive proposal to construct sea walls.

Shrinivas Kamath, the president of KCCI, said that the chamber will not support any construction that will have an adverse effect on the fragile ecosystem of the coast.