Red alert: Erra Matti Dibbalu washing away

VISAKHAPATNAM: As one drives past INS Kalinga towards Bheemili, one can see red water draining into the sea from small red ravines formed across the beach. Wondering how these red ravines formed and what's turning the sea water red? It's the geo-heritage site of Erra Matti Dibbalu or coastal Red Sand Hills that's literally bleeding as it gets washed away.
With every spell of rain, the hills are getting eroded at a furious pace as loose red sediments run down with the water, forming the red channel and draining into the sea. The rate at which these hills are getting denuded, one shouldn't be surprised if in a decade or two, there is no trace left of this precious geological wonder, pointed out experts.
Nearly two decades ago, the Port City lost the Red Sand Hills at RK Beach, which used to run from the Kali Temple to Yoga Village, after it fell prey to real estate activities. Today, the Erra Matti Dibbalu is one of the only three such existing formations in South East Asia - the other two being in Tamil Nadu (Teri Sands) and Sri Lanka. This rare natural wonder near Bheemili, which took centuries to form, covers nearly 100 acres with some of the hills almost 20-30 metres tall.
According to geological experts, Erra Matti Dibbalu were formed around 12,000 years ago due to sea-land interaction and comprise a mixture of sand (40-50%), silt and clay (another 50%) with oxidation of garnets imparting the unique red colour. "They were formed when ancient sand moulds were blown from the beach to the land. They are geologically important scientific documents as they represent the geological history of the late Quaternary period and carry the imprints of the fall of sea level and its subsequent rise, impact of climate, monsoon and geological processes on the sediments. They are anthropologically and archeologically important as they possibly contain mesolithic and neolithic cultural materials as well," said Prof Jagannadha Rao of Andhra University's geology department.
Barely a year ago, in July 2014, this unique natural heritage site was declared a "scientifically significant geo-heritage site" by the Geological Survey of India (GSI), following the efforts of the Geo-Heritage Cell of Intach (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage).
After getting this tag, the AP government was to demarcate and declare the site a protected area to prevent unlawful activities and processes at the site. The director general of GSI is also learnt to have written to the AP chief secretary to do the needful for its conservation, but in the last one year the Erra Matti Dibbalu continues to be neglected and the situation has gone from bad to worse.
But there is no clarity on who is actually responsible for protecting the site - APTDC, state archaeological department, GVMC, Vuda or Indian Navy. When contacted, APTDC officials passed the buck to the district tourism officer (DTO) A Siri, who said, "Intach, which is active in conservation, should be protecting the site. As a government department, we can put up signages at the site. We have already started taking estimates for putting up signages at various tourism and heritage sites."
Intach member Sohan Hatangadi said, "Conservation should be a cooperative effort between various government departments and Intach. Till date, nobody knows the exact extent of the place as per an official survey. A few years ago, APTDC had started digging the site to construct an interpretation centre, which we stopped."
Today there are no signages at the site to make the public aware of its significance even as unchecked human intervention and littering continues to take its toll on the vulnerable site, resulting in faster erosion this monsoon.
"The red sediments are naturally loose and not very tough. Visitors and picnickers continuously climbing on these hills, digging holes in them, littering and trampling on them, have caused the sediments to loosen up much faster than the natural process, which is why these hills are degrading at a rapid pace due to rains. At this rate of erosion, in 10-20 years these red sand hills will be razed to the ground and we would have lost a natural wonder that takes thousands of years to form. The authorities concerned should stop people from climbing these hills and fence the site, besides installing signages declaring its geological significance," said Prof Rao.
"Fed up with the non-responsive government authorities - be it APTDC, GVMC, Vuda or the Indian Navy - (none of who claim responsibility for maintenance and conservation of the site), we decided to conduct a cleaning drive annually, termed as 'Operation Red Hills,' at the site. But it needs to be given much more attention to conserve it properly," said P Santosh, who heads NGO Ken Foundation.
The geologically sensitive site and its immediate surroundings are also mired in litigation and disputes. The Bheemunipatnam Cooperative Building Society Limited had purchased land adjacent to it but got into litigation with the government. The Supreme Court ruled in favour of the society but in the meantime, as per unofficial sources, the navy was also keen on extending the limits of INS Kalinga and include the Erra Matti Dibbalu within their premises.