Posted on November 10, 2020
The geotextile tubes that will be laid will reduce the intensity of the waves, prevent erosion and allow beach nourishment, an official said
The Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department is set to undertake major shore protection measures to prevent coastal erosion and reclaim the shoreline at Bommayarpalayam coast.
The project to establish geotextile tubes filled with slurry (a mixture of sand and water) will be implemented at a cost of Rs.19 crore. Law Minister C.Ve. Shanmugam on Thursday laid the foundation stone for the project.
The work at Bommayarpalayam, which is being funded by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) includes the laying of geotextile tubes along of 1.35 km of the coastline. The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) has prepared the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the project.
According to a Fisheries Department official, the alignment will be finalised by NIOT using Global Positioning System (GPS) and the offshore submerged dyke will be laid at a distance of four metres from Chart Datum Level offshore.
The structure will reduce the intensity of the waves and prevent erosion and allow beach nourishment, the official added.
According to sources, the proposed dyke will comprise seven segments, each with 18 geo-synthetic tubes. Each geotube spans 25 metres in length, 15 metres in circumference and rises to a height of 3.5 metres after it is filled with sand. Each geotube will be filled with 450 cubic metres of sand and will cover a stretch of 1.35 km of the coast. The segments will be situated 50 metres apart to facilitate navigation of fishing vessels through these gaps.
The geotubes will be attached to concrete blocks submerged under the sea. The structure will also be equipped with reflectors for easy identification of their location by fishermen at night.
According to an official, as per estimates, the sea has advanced about 500 metres at Bommayarpalayam over the last two decades. As many as 75 houses have been damaged due to erosion.
The project is expected to result in the reclamation of sand levels and the restoration of the coast by 50 metres.
Source: thehindu
