Visakhapatnam: Coastal erosion came back to haunt the city’s beaches for the third time in 2014 when a portion of the Beach Road collapsed on Wednesday.

The erosion has been mainly taking place on the stretch between RK Beach and the Kursura Submarine Museum since it bore the brunt of high tides.

The tides alter sea levels twice a day, indirectly affecting the circulation and sediment transportation near the coast. Various studies by oceanographers have found that cyclones and depression with strong winds, along the Vizag coast, were changing sea levels.

“The coast at the Submarine Museum lost a major portion of its sand deposit during Cyclone Hudhud. Bad weather conditions only worsened the situation.

There is no abnormality but there is every need to take protective measures to save the city beaches,” said Dr V.S.N. Murthy, chief scientist from the National Institute of Oceanography.

On January 31, 2014, the landmass under the footpath on Beach Road near the Kursura Submarine Museum was subjected to massive erosion.

In the third week of July, witnessed shoreline erosion took place when heavy tides uprooted several trees and brought down many houses near the Museum, Mangamaripeta, Uppada, Dibbadipalem and other areas.

Once again, the Museum and other areas have been witnessing the same catastrophic effect of the tides, surging in by 25-30 metres over the last two days causing heavy damage to the Beach Road.



