Vizag: A recent study conducted by the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) revealed that about 1 to 5 per cent of Visakhapatnam could be submerged by 2040 due to rising sea levels. As per this study, around 6.96-7.43 square km of sand dunes along the coast will be lost due to the erosion caused by the advance of the sea.
Sea level has been rising steadily between 1992 and 2021, gaining 2.38 cm in 20 years at a rate of 0.181 cm year, according to historical statistics.
One-two percent, or roughly 7 square kilometers, of the city may be submerged if sea levels rise by 16.7–18.3 cm by 2040. If the percentage of carbon emissions increases significantly, 61.58 square km will lost by 2100, the study also mentioned.
The main cause of sea level rise is the melting of ice caps due to global warming. The second reason is that the hills on the coast of Visakha have penetrated the sea but the natural movement of sand is being obstructed by Yarada Hill.
"As a result, erosion will be more at the RK Beach and Kurusura Submarine Museum, located on the other side of Yarada Hill," said KSR Murthy, a retired scientist of the Department of Marine Studies.
In Puducherry, Promenade Beach, which is a popular tourist destination, 3 lakh cubic meters of sand is being dumped on the beach every year to prevent erosion. On the coast of Chellanam, a protective wall has been built at a cost of over Rs 300 crores to prevent erosion.
Visakha Port Authority is using dredgers to prevent coastal erosion on the coast of Visakha. Every year in April and May, the sand obtained by dredging is placed in the eroded areas through pipes. Apart from this, experts opined that armed measures should be intensified to prevent erosion.
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