Puri, Aug. 9: Hundreds of crabs were seen coming out of the sea and moving across the road near the beach adjacent to Swargadwar in the city as tidal waves made inroads into the coastline.
High waves hit the beach forcing vendors to push back their makeshift kiosks. Some of them had to shut it down. Eyewitnesses said the sea had advanced nearly 100 metres towards the shoreline triggering panic among tourists and the local businessmen. Rama Rao, 46, a tea vendor, said: "We have seen the sea advancing since 2002. We are living in constant fear."
Rao said the sea had advanced up to the Puri Hotel. "However, compared to the last year, sea erosion is lesser this time," he said.
District public relation officer Lalatendu Mohaptra said: "The administration is aware of the phenomenon. But, there is no need to panic."
According to experts, more than 36 per cent of the 480km state coastline is under the threat of erosion. Even the Shoreline Change Assessment Atlas, prepared by the Institute of Ocean Management, Anna University, Chennai, has made it clear that about 36.8 per cent of Odisha's coastline has the risk of erosion.
Sea Beach Protection Council president Jagannath Bastia said: "The river mouth, where the Managal river and the sea meets, got blogged due to high tides on the coast. Sea water is overflowing across the beach due to the blockage."
He said violation of coastal regulation zone norms had triggered the problem and erosion had turned into a major threat. "The tides are only 40feet from the beach hotels. The state government should not have allowed hotels to come up near the beach," he said.
Bastia recounted how tidal waves had washed away not only a part of the beach in 2005, but also the adjoining road, disrupting traffic for days.
A district administration official said they had planned to check erosion with geo tubes. "We are yet to find out the right contractors to take up the job," he said.
The Assembly's public accounts committee members, who visited Puri today, expressed concern over the erosion. They made a detailed study of the various ongoing projects in Puri.
