Anti-sea erosion project gives little respite to residents

MANGALURU: The state government's Rs 911 crore programme to address a host of issues, including sea erosion along the coast with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) through the Sustainable Coastal Protection and Management Investment Program (SCPMIP), has given little respite to the inhabitants savaged by the phenomenon since the past four decades. Under the programme, two artificial reefs and four inshore berms will be erected near Ullal coast not only to manage sea erosion but also to address the long-term needs of coastal planning. The Tranche I of the programme is being implemented in Ullal at an estimated cost of Rs 223.32 crore. The project, which was slated to be complete by 2015, has been extended up to December 2016. A look at the present state of the inshore berms clearly shows that the officials have misread the dynamics of the nature here. Praveen Kotian, president, Mogaveerapatna Life guards Association, operating since 1978, said: "The officials have not implemented the plan as per the project report as a result, the inshore berms are getting destroyed by huge waves. Purushottam Amin, member of the association, noted that the first thing the project proponents should have done was to reduce the size of the Ullal breakwaters from 450m to 350m. "This would have reduced the scale of erosion or completely halted it in Ullal. But they have started laying the berms, and the result is evident. We do not say that these berms, laid a year back has not helped, but if the breakwaters had been reduced, it would have been even more effective," said Amin. An SCPMIP source said: The Ullal sub-project components include various sustainable measures to reduce severe sea erosion like redesign and rehabilitation of the existing breakwater structures; construction of two offshore reefs; laying four inshore berms and sand nourishment. It escapes how the executing agency is jumping the queue and going for laying inshore berms first, which defeats the whole purpose. Another point that is sorely being missed is the involvement of local communities who understand the nature of the problem and arrive at appropriate solutions at most vulnerable and feasible locations, said an official. "We have seen the coast battered since four decades and we know where the problem exists and some solutions. What do officials do? Send some people who don't know the dynamics of this region, waste money," Kotain remarked. The ports and inland water transport department (PIWTD) is the executing agency in Karnataka. For this purpose, the department has set up a project management unit (PMU). The project director Chennappa Naik, who was at the site, refused to comment on the site regarding the failure of inshore berms. -TOI