In the backdrop of increased shoreline erosion in Visakhapatnam, the State government on Monday constituted a committee to combat the distressing phenomenon. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has asked the committee to come up with immediate steps and long-term solutions to arrest coastal erosion.

The Chief Minister appointed Visakhapatnam Port Trust chairman Krishna Babu as the Coordinator for the committee, while officials of National Institute of Ocean Technology, National Institute of Oceanography, APSRAC, Andhra University, IIT Chennai and various ports will assist the committee to prevent erosion.
 
Experts in Oceanography informed the Chief Minister that erosion has been taking place at an unprecedented rate during last one year and that drastic changes would occur in coming 20-30 years. Keeping this in view, the Chief Minister directed officials to monitor the changes continuously and come up with effective solutions.
 
He added that DELFT University in Netherlands is one such institution that is carrying out a study on coastal erosion. "We could bring in experts from the University and work with them to combat beach erosion," he added.
 
The Chief Minister ordered officials to work on strengthening beach boundaries from Rushikonda to Visakhapatnam city. Experts told the Chief Minister that at 172 sites along the coast between Kerala and Kolkata, erosion is taking place at a dangerous rate. While some places are witnessing heavy erosion, some are witnessing heavy deposits of sand, they said.
 
Visakhapatnam MP K Hari Babu told the Chief Minister that the gap between the coast and the sea was earlier 200 metres. However, this has now dropped to 50 metres, causing severe erosion.
The Chief Minister said that officials should instil confidence among people who seemed to have suffered a double whammy due to Cyclone Hudhud and coastal erosion.

Source: THI