Long term mitigation methods to prevent coastal erosion

Visakhapatnam:  Even as the Andhra Pradesh government is keen on tapping the potential of the second longest coastline of the country that stretches up to 974-km in the state, the authorities are focusing on devising concrete measures to mitigate coastal erosion which has become a serious concern. After participating in the third session of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in New Delhi that primarily through insights into 'building local resilience in a changing climate,' the corporation officials share that a new project is set to take off in Andhra Pradesh to protect the shoreline from erosion.

Collaborating with the National Disaster Management Authority, Mayor G Hari Venkata Kumari says that the corporation is getting an action plan ready to work towards long term mitigation methods for coastal erosion with an estimated budget of Rs 200 crore. "The endeavour includes rolling out a holistic approach with an emphasis on disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness," the Mayor, who represented Andhra Pradesh in the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in New Delhi, shares with The Hans India.

As a part of it, Andhra Pradesh is going to focus on bringing out long term solutions to address coastal erosion. "From surveying the present status to assessing structural and non-structural mitigation plans and incorporating technological interventions, the pilot project is likely to be initiated from Visakhapatnam. The endeavour primarily focuses on prevention, mitigation, preparedness and community awareness. Advanced drone cameras will be used for the survey to cut off time consumption," the Mayor explains.

By April, the corporation intends to ready an action plan to mitigate coastal erosion along AP coastline by interacting with concerned heads of the departments and officials. After the successful completion of the pilot project in Visakhapatnam, the practice will be implemented in other parts of the state where coastal erosion recurs.

Apparently, Andhra Pradesh has been facing a larger risk of coastal erosion for quite a long time. More so in Visakhapatnam and neighbouring places ever since cyclone Hudhud ravaged the region. With the east coast being more vulnerable to beach erosion, the new project aims to focus on mitigating the disaster and come up with long term viable solutions.