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Coastal erosion tops list of environment issues in Puducherry

PUDUCHERRY: While the theme for the World Environment Day this year focuses on forests and the need to conserve them, coastal erosion and the resultant impact of the disappearance of beaches on the communities which depend on the sea for their livelihood, remain the most important environment issues in Puducherry. The National Assessment of Shoreline Change, which was released by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in December 2010, indicated that at least 12 per cent of Puducherry's coastline was under the threat of sea erosion.

The “principal cause” for the problem in the region, as the report pointed out, was the construction of two breakwaters as part of the Puducherry harbour project. They blocked the free movement of sand from South to North, resulting in the destruction of long stretches of beaches on the northern side of the harbour.

However, environment activists in the region alleged that despite the existence of a vast amount of data indicating reasons for the erosion, the government had not done much to provide remedy.

The sand bypass system, which was an integral part of the plan for the construction of the harbour, has been de-activated as the government failed to take up dredging work in the last several years owing to lack of funds.

Prober Banerjee, member of PondyCan, an environment group in Puducherry which has been fighting for the restoration of beaches for the past several years, said that immediate steps were necessary to arrest the deterioration of the coastline and rejuvenate the beach system. This included activation of the bypass system by restarting the dredging process.

Redesigning of the harbour should be taken up by the government to ensure that a natural flow of sand is restored. This would reduce the high recurring costs that the government would incur if it chose to manually clear the depositing sand.

The group also met Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh several times recently to press for a solution.

“We even submitted a plan with the help of coastal management experts to the Minister. When we met him early this year, he said that he had asked the Puducherry government to send a proposal to this effect,” Mr. Banerjee said.

According to C.H. Balamohan, member of the CPI (M) and convener of Puducherry People's Protection Committee, quick-fix solutions adopted by the government, including building of sea walls, would not help.

“The pumping of sand should begin immediately to restore the beaches,” he said, adding that the government should also drop the idea of building the new port and the Murthikuppam fishing harbour, which would have a devastating impact on the remaining parts of the shoreline.

Secretary to Government (Environment) Theva Neethi Dhas said the territorial government has sent a proposal to the Union government requesting its inclusion in the phase-II of the World Bank funded Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan.

“We have included beach restoration as a component in this proposal and we are hoping for a positive reply,” he said.

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