Visakhapatnam: Visakhapatnam district officials prepared a detailed project report (DPR) to address coastal erosion in the region through a combination of structural and non-structural mitigation measures. The project, which spans from Coastal Battery Junction in Visakhapatnam city to Bheemili in the suburbs, is estimated to cost around 200 crore.
The Andhra Pradesh govt decided to submit the proposal to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to secure 90% of the funding from the Union govt. The DPR was already submitted to the state disaster management authority for approval, after which it will be forwarded to the NDMA.
The proposed structural interventions include the construction of retention walls, beach nourishment, dune stabilisation, and sea walls to protect the coastline. Non-structural measures will focus on ecosystem restoration through vegetation management and other nature-based solutions.
The project also aims to enhance community resilience by implementing community-based disaster risk management activities. There will be an emphasis on strengthening institutions to support disaster risk reduction, emergency response, rebuilding efforts, and decision-making in risk governance. These proposals were discussed at length during the recent review meeting conducted by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu in Visakhapatnam. According to sources, Naidu directed the officials to tap into the central funding to implement the measures suggested in the DPR.
Visakhapatnam has been increasingly affected by coastal erosion due to both natural weather conditions and human intervention. The RK beach area, in particular, was hit several times in the past, with tides washing away embankments. Coastal erosion also extended as far as Rushikonda beach in the previous years. The Visakhapatnam Port Trust has been carrying out an annual beach nourishment project in the eroded RK beach area to restore the beachfront. The primary objective of the proposed beach erosion project is to mitigate further coastal erosion and develop a comprehensive shoreline management plan for Visakhapatnam. Although several proposals were made over the last decade, and some institutions even prepared project reports, no substantial progress was made.
The increasing coastal erosion poses a significant threat to coastal communities, particularly fishermen living in erosion-prone areas. As Visakhapatnam continues to develop along the coastline, many areas are increasingly at risk from erosion.
Andhra Pradesh has a coastline of about 974 km, of which around 290 km is under varying degrees of erosion, according to the shoreline change assessment conducted by the National Centre for Coastal Research.
