Odisha to fix coast erosion though natural process

Bhubaneswar, Aug 17 (PTI) The Odisha government todaysaid it would check the sea erosion in Puri coast throughnatural process and avoid constructing any structure on thebeach which will mar the beauty of the coast. "No structure will be constructed on the beach to reducethe erosion as it will affect the scenic beauty of the coast.We will like to repair the beach by natural process," WaterResources secretary Pradip Kular Jena told reporters. Stating that an expert team from IIT-Madras had visitedthe spot, Jena said they will suggest the state on how tocheck the erosion. "We have started digging out the Mangala river mouth onceagain. The work is halted due to rain. It will take anotherseven to eight days to complete the process. We expect thiswill help check erosion at Swargadwar (a cremation ground onthe beach)," Jena said about the steps taken by the stategovernment to check the erosion. If the process helps in the rebuilding process, noartificial methods will be followed, he said. The beach near Swargadwar has been severely affected dueto ingress of the Bay of Bengal. The local administration has hoisted red flag at the spot,preventing tourists to take bath near Swargadwar. Life guardshave also been deployed in the area. The state government has also identified beaches nearParadip port, Gopalpur port, Chilika lake, Puri, Satabhaya andPentha in Kendrapara district as erosion prone. PTI AAM NNMRJ