Fishing villages dotting the East Coastal Road, linking Kattupalli and Pulicat, in Tiruvallur district continue to be at risk due to coastal erosion. Over the past week, massive waves hit the river mouth near Karungali village, where the Kosasthalaiyar river enters the sea. When The Hindu visited the place on Saturday, commuters on two-wheelers and four-wheelers could not traverse the East Coastal Road as mounds of sand had accreted at the spot, which was also inundated with pools of seawater.
In Koraikuppam, the width of the beach has reduced to a great extent, say residents. While the rise in sea levels contributes to erosion, residents also see the Adani Kattupalli Port as a significant factor in the erosion. “Can we fight against nature? Can the sea be contained by building a dam?” asks Punitha, a resident of Koraikuppam, which has about 200 fisher families. She says their demand for relocation inland has been pending for over a decade.
According to a study by the National Centre for Coastal Research, released in 2023, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram are among the districts that are most vulnerable to sea erosion as eight out of 22 erosion hotspots belong to them. In Tiruvallur, 18 km out of 40.97 km is under threat.
R. Surya and M. Vadivel, residents of Koraikuppam, say that when the seas are rough, or during the monsoon and cyclones, the boats placed precariously on the beach are moved further inside their small village. A school and a temple stand approximately just 150 metres from the sea.
S. Palayam, an experienced hook-and-line fisherman from Urur Kuppam, says the breakwater built at Kattupalli is the cause for the sea eating into these villages. The Kattupalli coast should be declared as a ‘high erosion zone’ to protect it from further damage due to expansion of ports, says Durai Mahendran of the Tiruvallur District Traditional United Fishermen Association.