Paradip, Dec. 28:Construction of the state's first geo-synthetic tube seawall project to arrest erosion along the Pentha coast has begun.

The long-conceived project that was mooted in 2008 has got delayed due to multiple factors, and there have been technical modifications from time to time.

Last week, the construction commenced under the technical supervision of engineers deputed by the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Programme and the coastal embankment division of the state government.

Earlier, work was stopped as the forest department had raised objections stating that the project did not have the forest and wildlife clearance.

'The project design has been modified according to the technical advice given by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Chennai,' saidexecutive engineer Jugal KIshore Tripathy.

The geo-synthetic tube seawall is being erected close to the old embankment. The deadline for completion of the Rs 33-crore project is June 2015.

A contract firm with skilled manpower and machineries is carrying out the project. The firm has been awarded the project by global tender-bidding process, said an official.

The seawall project forms part of the coastal zone management scheme, and the World Bank funds it. There are plans to erect a seawall at Satabhaya, which is also undergoing severe sea erosion.

A project worth Rs 1 crore is being planned for the proposed project. As the area falls under the forest and coastal regulation zone, the environmental clearance would also be sought for, said the official.

The marauding sea waves are constantly battering the Pentha coast under Brahmansahi gram panchayat in Rajnagar tehsil of Kendrapara district, prompting the state government to install the geo-synthetic seawall to arrest sea erosion.

Over a dozen thickly populated human settlements are still lying thoroughly exposed to the sea erosion along the coastline.