Will Puri survive?

Report: D N Singh Bhubaneswar: The golden sand bed is turning black and the tides from the Bay of Bengal that once used to serenade to the world, have now assumed a terrifying face. It is rapidly bracing up to engulf the charming shore where people from all walks of life used to squat for a while to derive the much needed mental respite. The people enjoyed a glimpse of the lovely assimilation of the ocean and the golden sand bed. It is all now so fiery that a small walk along the coast can be seen as a venture too ominous. It is the scene at Puri sea shores, supposed to be the country`s most serene and human-friendly rendezvous. The city that embodies religious passion and ethnic splendour. The change is so perceptible and often a cause for concern. The sea has started eroding the coast rapidly, invading into a distance of over 100 to 200 metres and damaging the road that divides the coast and the town. ‘ It is a bad sign that cannot be taken easily ` said Biswajit Mohanty, an environmental activist, keeping a close watch on the dynamics of the sea. ` It should be viewed as the beginning of a phase which could be fatal in the days to come if something is not done ` Mohanty added. As soon as one enters the Puri shore area, the signs of erosion are too pronounced. Down further towards the eastern end of the coast the traces of devastation are very clear and loud as the sea still keeps invading at the slightest provocation of a windy flow from the ocean. Towards the extreme end, the tidal invasion has created a damage which has become a river of sorts, almost touching the premises of a resort, clearly visible. In essence, a majority of the hotels and houses along the coast are within the firing range of the angry ocean. Going by the recent report of the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), out of the state`s 480 km long coast line 107 km have been affected by constant erosions which often look frightening. It has been recorded at 23 per cent by now. What could be the cause behind such change, nobody has a convincing answer. But, what is in existence today and what was 10/15 years back is a clear pointer at the ground reality which the environmentalists cannot afford to ignore. The road along the coast today known as the Marine Drive, flanked by the sea on one side and habitation on the other, was in fact a huge patch of Casuarina forestry, stretching over 25 kms, far off to the end. It, undisputably, serves as a formidable barrier against many tidal invasions. It goes without saying that plantations are the only dependable protection against any oceanic wrath. But the scene is different today. The forestry has been razed to the earth in a very steady albeit callous way to usher in the hotel industry. Once the floodgates were opened there was no let up. If one believed the locals then, they had ` never seen the sea invading in such a fashion as long as the forestry was there ` recollects Santosh, resident of Puri. Now the biggest question mark the government faces in Puri is that what can be done to stop the tidal surge. Although, legends have it that hundreds of years ago the sea was close to the Puri temple and down the centuries it might have receded about one and a half kms to remain where it is now. But nature has its ways and the load within the sea due to increase in water in the aftermath of global warming may be a reason behind it. Whatever maybe the reason but the sea wrath seems unstoppable by any clinical interference. It is amazing that the district administration has already blown about Rs 4 lakhs to dump sand-bags along the damaged coast instead of inviting experts from the field to suggest something more plausible an alternative to deal with the crisis. Because, Puri`s socio-economic mainstay is tourism and the sea shore plays a vital role in it, a fractured coastline is bound to upset the visitors and throw tourism off balance. During the last oceanic depression the tides had been seen rising as high as ten metres and splashing down at the coast, breaking roads and creating new water bodies which still exist. It is quite visible that the sea is inching nearer and nearer and it is difficult to ignore a people’s panic as to what would happen if there is a oceanic outrage like cyclone or a tsunami.