Posted on August 26, 2024
A study conducted by the National Coastal Research Centre has revealed that 29 percent of the vast coastline of Andhra Pradesh has been eroded. The coastal erosion is extremely severe in five places and severe in 48 places.
Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh’s area is witnessing a decrease as its vast coastline is getting eroded constantly.
Sriharikota Space Centre is facing challenges due to coastal erosion while Visakhapatnam RK beach, Krishna and Godavari delta areas are being eroded at many places.
In some areas, the habitats are merging into the sea, while in other places, the beaches are disappearing. Due to changes in climate and people’s lifestyles, problems are increasing in the coastal areas.
A total of 29.85 lakh people live in 226 villages along the coast in these nine joint districts.
A study by the National Coastal Research Centre has shown that coastal erosion is “severe” at 48 places across the state. This apart, in five places, this is “extremely severe”.
The erosion intensity is highest in Uppada, Koringa Sanctuary and Sriharikota. It has been found that 29 percent of the entire coastline of the state has been eroded. If the erosion is more than three metres, it is considered to be severe.
If we look at the Bay of Bengal, sand travels from Sri Lanka to West Bengal from March to October. Then it travels from West Bengal to Sri Lanka from November to February. Due to the damming of the rivers, the sand coming from the rivers and reaching the sea, is decreasing.
On the other hand, storms and waves have increased its intensity than before. Coastal erosion is also occurring due to rising sea levels, development of ports and dredging. The sand removed from erosion site is getting deposited in other places as pastures. New beaches are forming towards the south.
In Kakinada district, it was found that erosion is severe in five places. This situation is more prevalent in Nemam, Komaragiri, Uppada and in Aminabad. It has been found that 2.655 km of coastal area has been eroded here over the years.
According to the data of 2022, 265.2 hectares of land have been absorbed into the sea. Shar is taking steps to prevent erosion in Sriharikota. There is a danger of serious erosion problem at RK beach due to Visakhapatnam port. The port authorities are putting the dredging sand on the RK beach and taking measures to prevent erosion. It is said that if the port did not took this move then RK Beach would have disappeared.
The National Coastal Research Centre under the auspices of the Centre is studying coastal erosion and suggesting solutions. The National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) is taking steps to undertake a special project to prevent erosion.
As a part of this, Andhra Pradesh has the opportunity to get Central funds of Rs 200 to Rs 800 crore. The first meeting was held in Delhi in July. The draft project reports will be ready by the end of this month. Ninety percent of the project cost will be provided by the Centre and the remaining 10 percent will be borne by the state disaster management agency.
