Debjani Dutta |ENS Puducherry, March 11

WITH the beach nourishment project that holds the key to puducherry’s coastal protection in doldrums and the government making no attempts to revive it, puducherry Citizens Action Network forum, Pondy CAN, have embarked on an awareness campaign. The campaign will press the need to perk up the sandy beach and prepare an action plan for it.

The Pondy CAN has organized a meeting at Satsanga restaurant on March 14, where they will give a presentation, besides inviting suggestions from participants.

After the construction of the new port in 1989, Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), Pune, the consultants of the Project, had advised the authorities for a beach nourishment plan for the port. This was to be done by dredging sand from the mouth of the harbor and depositing it at the northern side of the harbor.

For some time, dredged was done and was deposited on the coast but not to the required extent. And after the tsunami attack, dredging was totally abandoned and the town had since then lost the sandy beach.

Some Protection was given to the coast by dumping rocks earlier, but that caused further erosion in unprotected areas further north in Tamil Nadu. Besides, the rocks also caused hindrance to fishermen.

The government, on the advice of Indian Institute of Technology Chennai, had then initiated the implementation of a project for the construction of 11 gyrones in the stretch of sea between Old Distillery up to Solainagar border.

But the project was suspended after the Nagapattinam – based Coastal Action Network along with Pondy CAN raised objections against the project. They had cited the instance of the gyrones at Thandirayankuppam that caused erosion in the areas north of it, including Auroville.

Gyrones cannot be the answer, as one coastal village cannot wipe out another, said Probir Banerjee, president, Pondy CAN.