Sea erosion part-2: Have foresight, cover with greenery and stop erosion

By Snehalatha
Bellevision Media Network

Udupi, 09 June 2011: In the last 20 years, 100 crores of rupees have been spent to stop sea erosion, but the erosion has never stopped. Is that meaning it is impossible to stop this sea erosion? If we ask this to the government officers and the politicians they will put forward their plans of constructing a permanent wall of rocks or concrete. But as per the environment specialists it is impossible to build a permanent wall like that, it is completely non-scientific plan and thought, the same was tried in Udupi and D.K. districts all these years and it never worked, they say.

 

So what is the solution? As per the famous biologist of Udupi Dr. N. A. Madhyastha, the first strategy is to convince the people living in the sea shore and make them migrate by giving them compensation and replacement land and house. This will not stop the sea erosion, but can stop the losses. The second strategy is covering the greenery throughout the sea shore, which means growing the suitable trees and plants.

 

To justify his strategy Dr. Madhyastha gives the example of Maravanthe beach. The west side of the beach is always subjected to sea erosion. Since the last 10 years crores of rupees have been spent and wall of rocks has been built here. But all these go off in 1 – 2 years. But south side of the same beach does not have any erosion. The reason is there are trees at the sea shore, underneath them there is grass and roots grown. These do not allow the erosion to take place. This is the natural stop wall and the sea has to submit to it, says Dr. Madhyastha.

 

Since the sea shore has salty atmosphere, all kind of trees will not grow there. But trees like coconut tree, palm tree will grow. Mangro plant, Lantana, Cactus and similar plants with long roots will grow well. These can be grown without any fertilizer or water. The roots of these plants and trees will stop the impact of the sea water waves and will stop the sand washing off, so no erosion will take place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Udupi; Gangolli, Kundapura, Kaup, Udyavara, in all these places we can see these trees and plants here and there. Wherever these trees and plants are there, there is no erosion and we can see the examples in just few meters away, where there are no plants the erosion is taking place there. This is enough to learn how to stop erosion.

 

Along with this, removal of sand from the shore has to be compulsorily stopped, says Dr. Madhyastha. From the shore to the sea there is a minute biological balance. Removing the sand from there, causes imbalance and the result can be seen with the behavior of the sea on the shore. We should not carryout unnecessary activities at the shore, sea has its own land and it will not allow the humans to take it away, he says.

 

If the politicians wish, the removal of sand can be stopped immediately, but convincing the people of the shore and shifting them, covering greenery, all these are time consuming strategies, these require foresight plans. The money that will be spent on dumping the rocks, if spent on growing greenery with proper consultation from the environmental specialists, then it is possible to stop the erosion permanently.

 

This does not mean that our politicians do not know these alternatives, but they do not want to have a permanent solution for this. They are more interested to submit the account to the government on the money spent on dumping the rocks and get crores of rupees released for the next year, than growing these trees and plants!.