Paradip: The serene tourist spot at Siali in Erasama block of Jagatsinghpur district wears a ravaged look with the smashing of tidal waves battering the vulnerable coastline.

Though the intensity of the tidal waves have receded, damage triggered by the unsteady sea has left the people living in coastal villages panicky.

"Eight to ten feet sea waves pounded the beach almost everyday over the past one week, triggering large-scale erosion on Thursday. The sea has advanced almost about 25 feet. The sprawling tourist complex-cum-rest shed is also under threat," said sarpanch of Padmapur gram panchayat Keshab Patra.

Residents of seaside Padmapur, Bangalipada, Siali, Kalabedi and Sahadabedi villages are a panicked lot.

"The manner in which the sea battered the Siali coast leads us to believe that these coastal hamlets will be further exposed to ingress of tidal waves in the coming days," he said, adding that gross absence of anti-erosion measures was further adding to the vulnerability of the seaside human settlements.

The block administration has initiated temporary measures to arrest sea erosion. Sandbags and bamboo pole stumps are being put in place to stop the advancing sea, said Erasama block development officer Kailash Chandra Behera.

"Our immediate attention is to save the tourist complex which lies vulnerable to the sea's fury," he said.

"The water resources department has been directed to draw up a comprehensive project to protect the sea erosion-prone pockets in Jagatsinghpur. The department has been asked put in place breakwater system of sea wall and other form of anti-erosion measures to plug the marauding sea," said Jagatsinghpur collector Yamini Sadangi.

While intense sea erosion in Kendrapara district has become a matter of deep concern, neighbouring Jagatsinghpur is also contending with the sea scourge.

Mighty sea waves had devoured several parts of Satabhaya gram panchayat in Kendrapara district, forcing the state government to relocate the affected people to a resettlement colony.

Similarly, Pentha in Kendrapara district is also bearing the brunt of sea erosion. To tame the marauding sea, the state government has constructed geo-synthetic seawall along the 800-metre-long vulnerable coast. The geo-tube structure built a couple of years back has so far managed to stop the sea waves from advancing there.