On Sunday, cyclone Jawad wreaked havoc at RK Beach in Vizag. The sea surge in the Bay of Bengal has threatened the prized possession – the picturesque coastline of Vizag. The popular beach was attacked by huge waves which ravaged the beach and road, ringing alarm bells and forcing civic authorities to shut down a part of the beach.
Reportedly, a stretch of about 200 metres near the Children’s Park in RK Beach caved in yesterday. Besides partial damage to the parapet wall, the ground in the park developed huge cracks. The damage is believed to have been caused by sand erosion on the beach due to tidal waves triggered by cyclone Jawad.
The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) and police officials stopped the entry of visitors and tourists into the park as well as into the adjacent service road. The officials have also put ‘no entry’ boards to warn the public. According to the GVMC officials, who inspected the coastline, the damage has been estimated to be around Rs 1.5 crore.
According to oceanographic experts, sea condition was rough when Cyclone Jawad passed close to Visakhapatnam coast on Saturday. Since re-curving of the storm took place near the Vizag coast, wind and wave patterns would have been rough to very rough. Surge in the sea could also have caused erosion, experts stated.
Beach erosion has been a recurring problem for Vizag. In order to fix the issue, Visakhapatnam Port Trust takes up beach nourishment works in the eroded RK beach area every year to improve the beach front. The process involves removing large amounts of eroded sand and pumping it back into the beach.
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