Sea erosion ravages Pozhiyoor again, rebuilt coastal road washed away

T'puram: Sea erosion once again battered the fragile coastal belt of Pozhiyoor on Tuesday night, causing extensive damage to roads, fishing infrastructure and residential areas along Kerala-Tamil Nadu border region. The latest sea attack has reignited protests over the delay in implementing the long-pending coastal protection project for Pozhiyoor-Kollemcode stretch.The worst-hit areas were Kollemcode and Neerody near the border, where roads connecting coastal hamlets to the mainland were washed away, leaving several families isolated. Residents said the sea surged deep into inhabited areas, damaging fishing boats kept ashore and inundating parts of Pozhikkara fish landing centre. The recently reconstructed Pozhiyoor-Neerody road, which was earlier destroyed during the ‘kallakkadal' phenomenon around six months ago, was again washed away in the heavy sea attack. The road was partially rebuilt only three months ago using geobags and a temporary protection wall along the shoreline. Locals alleged that they repeatedly warned authorities that the geobag-based protection would not withstand severe tidal waves and instead demanded construction of permanent groynes or a seawall. "The authorities ignored our demand and went ahead with temporary measures. Now the road has collapsed again," said Nelson J, a fisherman from the area. Residents pointed out that Tamil Nadu constructed groynes along its side of the coast nearly five years ago, but similar protection structures were never implemented in Pozhiyoor despite repeated demands. They alleged that after the completion of groyne construction in Tamil Nadu, erosion intensified on the Kerala side, particularly in the southern Kollemcode and Paruthiyoor regions. People in Paruthiyoor claimed that the sea advanced more than 500m inland in recent years. Several structures, including the Ockhi memorial park in the region, previously suffered damage due to repeated sea incursions. The latest incident has also put the spotlight back on the delayed Pozhiyoor coastal protection project. Former water resources minister Roshy Augustine announced in Feb this year that the project received revised financial sanction of Rs 93.22 crore from the KIIFB. However, residents say no substantial progress has been made on the ground despite the announcement. According to tender details published earlier this year, the proposed KIIFB-funded coastal protection work covers the Pozhiyoor-Kollemcode coastal stretch along the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. A senior official of KWA said emergency restoration measures were under way in coordination with the irrigation and coastal engineering departments. "Temporary arrangements are being made to restore connectivity and prevent further damage. A detailed assessment of the affected stretch will be submitted to the govt for urgent intervention," the official said. Newly elected Neyyattinkara MLA N Shaktan visited the affected coastal areas on Wednesday and assured fishermen that steps would be taken to strengthen permanent coastal protection measures in the region.