CHENNAI: The Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) is building a 3.2-km-long seawall, costing about Rs.18 crore, at Kalpakkam Township.

At its closest, the wall is about 50 metres from the sea, and is built to a height of 5.5 metres above the Mean Sea Level (MSL). The wall is expected to protect the nuclear power plant township from tsunamis. In the December 24, 2004 tsunami, 39 residents of the township lost their lives. After the tsunami, the IGCAR constituted a committee of experts to advise on the adequacy of safety measures for the nuclear plant. The committee also considered the safety of the township and suggested guidelines.

The IGCAR has installed a cost-effective tsunami warning system at the plant, but the seawall is meant to protect the township and adjacent villages. Environmental groups, however, have objected to the construction of a seawall. The M.S. Swaminathan Committee report on Costal Regulation Zone has suggested that seawall be built in areas affected by erosion and recommended that bio-shields be raised in other areas.

But IGCAR authorities say the bio-shields, especially mangroves, are not possible in the area, since freshwater is not available. The M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) agrees with this, and recommends casurina and coconut plantations.

The IGCAR argues that the wall will be built away from the sea and in the place of an old compound wall. Hence, it will not have a negative impact on the adjacent villages.

Design by IIT

The IIT-Madras has designed this reinforced concreted wall, and the Central Water and Power Research Station, Pune, has reviewed the design. The wall has been designed with counter forts and boulder pitching to ward off the impact of tsunamis. The IGCAR claims these measures will protect the shoreline and the littoral drift will be minimised. Design drawings shown to The Hindu indicate provision of engineered dunes for additional protection.

P.C. Kesavan, DAE-Homi Bhabha Chair at the MSSRF, backs the IGCAR's contention. He says that it will not affect the adjacent villages. However, the M. S. Swaminathan Committee report on Coastal Regulation Zone says seawalls affect the natural sediment budget and formation of dunes, which, in turn, may lead to erosion in the adjacent area.

Sudarshan Rodriguez, a marine conservation analyst, and once a resident of Kalpakkam, feels some of the damage caused to the township is of the IGCAR's own making. The sand was mined at a few places even below sea level and it added to the damage.

An environmental impact assessment could have helped to clarify many of these doubts. However, such an assessment was not needed for replacing the old wall with a new one.

Bharat Jayaraj of the CAG, on the other hand, says the coastal area is sensitive, and measures such as seawalls have to be integrated with the overall coastal management plan.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail