Sand trap dredging work begins to control beach erosion

Visakhapatnam: The sand trap dredging work to be executed by Dredging Corporation of India Limited (DCI) commenced in the city on Monday.

Inaugurated by chairman of Visakhapatnam Port Authority and DCI K Rama Mohana Rao, the project has been funded by the port authority with an estimated contract value of Rs 20 crore.

The project would focus on dredging 0.2 million cubic meters of sand with a target of completing the exercise in 30 days.

Speaking on the occasion, VPA and DCI chairman Rama Mohana Rao said that Vishakhapatnam coast was facing erosion from the beginning, especially near INS Kursura Submarine Museum area at RK Beach. Further, the chairman reasoned that it was largely due to lack of sand supply from the southern side, thereby leading to a loss of coastal shore in the past few years.

Elaborating about the port's role in controlling the erosion, Rama Mohana Rao said that the VPA has proactively been contributing to the erosion control mechanism by nourishing the Rama Krishna Beach with sand available in the sand trap at the outer harbour at regular intervals.

Shoreline changes, erosion or accretion is a natural phenomenon that occurs throughout the coast with varying magnitude due to natural processes and man-made interventions. The seasonally changing winds during the southwest monsoon (June-September) and northeast monsoon (December-February), generate wind-waves from different directions towards the beaches.

Along the coast, littoral drift occurs in the northerly direction for eight-nine months in a year, with the wave approaching the coast from the southwest. There is a southerly littoral drift for three to four months due to north-east monsoon waves. "This variation in the littoral drift results in instability of beaches where man-made structures disrupt the free-sand movement. During the past 25 years the Andhra Pradesh shoreline is experiencing 25-25 per cent erosion of varying magnitudes," the chairman of VPA explained.

To reduce the erosion, DCI will dredge the sand material from the sand trap area inside the port and pump it using a self-floating pipeline of length 0.50 km to RK Beach coast.

MD and CEO, additional charge of DCIL Captain S Divakar, deputy chairman of VPA Durgesh Kumar Dubey, CVO P S Lingeswara Swami, CHOD Captain K M Choudhary took part in the inaugural ceremony.