Kerala government is trying to combat sea erosion: Find out how 

As some of you know, most of the states in the southern part of India, such as Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka make up for more than half of the coastal regions in the country. One of the major problems that such areas face is sea erosion. In fact, at the start of July, the Karnataka government had suggested experimental measures such as duck foot and sea wave breaker technologies to mitigate the issue. And now, Kerala, the worst hit state among all, has recently stepped up to tackle the rising problem of sea erosion in its own way. Here’s what the state is up to. 

Rehabilitation of the coastal population 
For the uninitiated, the Kerala government has recently taken adequate measures to help families affected due to sea erosion. Sources suggest that temporary rehabilitation has been arranged in the districts of Shanghumugham and Vettacaud. In fact, as many as 70 families have already been evacuated and given shelter to, in rescue camps. The state government is also considering permanent relocation of people, if necessary.  

Implementing the geo tube model 
While Karnataka prefers the duck foot and sea wave breaker technologies, looks like Kerala is opting for geo tube model. In fact, it has already tried and tested the method in the district of Poonthura. At present, they are focussing on implementing the same in other coastal areas too. Moreover, construction of sea wall has also been suggested for certain regions.  

Geo tube model: A bird’s eye view 
The geo tube model, the technique that uses geo-synthetic or geotextile tubes, is a cost-effective, soft engineering method to tackle the persistent problem of sea erosion. It stands in sharp contrast to hard engineering techniques such as erection of sea walls. Okay, but how does it function? In this method, tubes are installed along the coast. The giant tubes are filled with sediment sleeves made up of synthetic fabric. They are in turn deployed in a trench, parallel to the seashore, which not only checks acute sea erosion but also blocks high tides from entering the coasts.  

This model has been undertaken by the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Programme (a dynamic, multidisciplinary and iterative technique to promote sustainable management of coastal areas) in collaboration with IIT Chennai and was earlier deployed in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.