Steps on to check sea erosion

Work on one berm is complete, reef in progress in Ullal

With the work on ADB funded Sustainable Coastal Protection and Management Investment Programme (SCPMIP) to address issues of sea erosion in progress in Ullal, the work on a in-shore berm is ready.

 A total of four inshore berms, two off-shore reefs and modification and re-alignment of existing two breakwaters at estuary are some of the works initiated under the programme.

The State government with the help of Asian Development Bank (ADB) has been implementing the project to address the sea erosion. The work on all four berms are likely to be completed by next monsoon. The work is being taken up not only to address the sea erosion but also to address long term needs of coastal planning.

The two structures of reefs will be designed to block the wave energy from a number of directions, thereby minimising or negating the long shore currents and keeping the sand in place.  “The specially designed sand bags knowns as geotextile bags are used for the  the construction of berms. It was procured from Germany and Denmark,” said Raman D V of RDS Projects, which has been entrusted with the work on constructing four berms.

“The berm is designed to be sustainable and safe for environment, while providing solutions to beaches and shorelines that have seen the effects of erosion. The geotextile sand bags are systematically placed on the shore to prevent sand erosion and also check the waves,” he said. 

Geotextile bags

“The sand in each bag varies from two tonnes to 15 tonnes. About four layers of such bags have been laid to make one berm. In fact, three different types of bags have been used; viz weighing two tonnes, five tonnes and 15 tonnes. These geotextile bags will promote marine ecology,” he added. 

“The work on one offshore reef has commenced. The distance between two reefs is one-km and the length of these reefs are 365 metre and 290 metre long respectively. Two barges are engaged in dumping boulders to stabilise the soil below to construct the work on off-shore reef,” said Sustainable Coastal Protection and Management Investment Programme Joint Director Gopal Nayak.

“The reef acts as a ramp that changes the way the waves break. It harnesses wave energy, which causes erosion, and channels it to break on the offshore reef instead. As a result, when the waves reach the shore where the berm is ready, it becomes very weak and the beach is protected, ecology is enhanced and improved conditions are created for visitors and fishermen,” he added. 

The four berms are constructed at a cost of Rs 25 crore. Reefs are constructed around 600 meters away from the seashore.

Second phase

He said the loan negotiations with the ADB for the second phase of sea erosion prevention work in the coastal districts will commence in October this year.

“The tranche II sea erosion prevention work will be taken up on 32-km of seashore stretch at Someshwar in Dakshina Kannada, eight sites in Udupi and two sites in Uttara Kannada at a cost of Rs 680 crore. The consultants have prepared feasibility report and submitted to Central Water and Power Research Station, Pune,” he added.