Eden Beach, one of the few Blue Flag-certified beaches in the country, located at Chinna Veerampattinam, is once again facing the problem of coastal erosion after the sea began inching closer to the shore in the first week of April.
The impact of the erosion this time was so high that the basement of a concrete structure constructed at the beach to hoist the Blue Flag, following the certification by Denmark-based non-profit organisation Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), caved in, leading to the removal of the flag itself. The FEE accords the status to beaches across the world based on certain parameters, including eco-friendliness and safety.
“The sea water began entering the beach in the first week of April, and as days passed, the intensity of water entering the coast increased rapidly, leading to the collapse of the basement of the concrete structure. A similar situation occurred in 2022 too, but its intensity was not as high,” said a resident of Chinna Veerampattinam.
Seasonal reversal of littoral currents
According to former director of National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) M.V. Ramana Murthy, the erosion in the area was due to seasonal changes in littoral current. Whenever there is a seasonal change, localised erosion would occur at Eden Beach.
