Puthuvype beach trumps Fort Kochi

Kochi: For a long time, Fort Kochi Beach was the go-to spot for families and tourists. However, an increasing number of travellers head to Puthuvype Beach due to the shrinking shoreline at the popular destination."A large expanse of the beach has shrunk by sea erosion, leaving only a narrow, fragile strip. The shoreline is vanishing fast, and the remaining sections may be entirely gone in a month's time. There was a time when the sands stretched over 300m wide," said former mayor K J Sohan. "An increasing number of revellers now prefer Puthuvype and Puthenthode beaches, as they like to engage in activities like sea bathing," a senior tourism official said. According to Sohan, the reclamation of land for the Vallarpadam terminal mainly altered local water currents. "This shift redirected the gushing waves, causing relentless coastal erosion that continues to eat into the shore. Though a study by IIT-Madras, commissioned by Kerala Tourism, studied the issues and suggested recommendations, nothing concrete was done in the last five years," he pointed out. The migration from Fort Kochi to Puthuvype isn't just about the disappearing sand. For many people, getting to Fort Kochi has become a headache. "Navigating the heavy city traffic and constant snarls consumes a lot of time. Puthuvype, located on Vypeen Island, is a much shorter drive from the city," said Madhu Mannur, who has taken his family to the beach multiple times. District tourism promotion council (DTPC) and Cochin Port Authority (CPA) are working hard to develop Puthuvype to meet this new demand. While DTPC is in the process of setting up basic facilities, CPA has invited expressions of interest (EoI) to transform the 1.5km shoreline into a marine tourism hub. However, the beach faces its own set of problems. Part of the recreational space has been lost to industrial projects, including petroleum and gas installations. As visitor numbers climb, safety, especially that of sea-bathing, has become the top priority as well.