Gods Must Be Angry

FOR a state that markets itself as 'God's Own Country', it required divine wrath to pull up its inhabitants for interfering with Nature's laws. Collapsed walls, fallen electric and telephone poles, clusters of dumped rocks besides non-existent beaches stand as mute witnesses to nature's fury after Kovalam was lashed by a ferocious sea for almost a month since early July. Though the lull after the unprecedented sea erosion has brought a sense of relief for locals along the two km stretch of lucrative sand, it focuses on the unplanned growth of a tourist site at one of the country's most popular beach destinations.

Nearly a dozen lodges and about 25 restaurants, according to estimates, were badly affected on the stretch from Hawa beach to the Light House, half-an-hour's drive from Thiruvanan-thapuram. The waves breached compound walls and submerged about 150 yards of beach, laying siege to small and medium constructions that dot the beachfront. The 200-odd temporary kiosks and thatched huts were, however, washed away even as those dwelling on the seafront were without electricity and telephone services for nearly two weeks. The estimated total loss: Rs 10 lakh. In the first week of August, another 19 huts were destroyed and several coconut trees uprooted in Vettukad, Kannanthura, Shanghu-mugham, Pozhikkara, Kochuveli and Veli Boat Club areas. The erosion, described as the worst in 50 years by locals, resulted in damages worth another Rs 10 lakh. "Right now, the sea is near normal. But last month, it was almost in my restaurant," says G.U. Senan, proprietor of Hotel Palm Beach, a middle-level hotel built on a quarter acre of land on Light House Beach. "I have lost about five yards of land to the sea," he claims. Adds Salauddin, manager of Hotel Sea Rock on Hawa beach: "Though erosion is not a new thing, what happened this year was unprecedented." One of the first hotels to be built on Kovalam beach, Sea Rock suffered extensive damage.

Sea erosion—a misnomer for beach erosion caused by the sea—is part of a cyclic process during which the beach is carried away by waves or tidal currents. Erosion occurs mostly during the monsoon months and the sea brings back the beach at the end of the monsoon in a process called accretion. Natural or man-made causes, however, lead to the domination of either erosion or accretion and create havoc, like this year. Says M. Baba, head, Marine Sciences Division, Centre for Earth Science Studies, Thiruvananthapuram: "Kerala is as vulnerable to erosion as any other part of the coastline. But it becomes much more serious due to the density of population on the coast." Erosion in Kovalam has indeed become a serious issue for hotel owners and restaurateurs who point an accusing finger at the state government and district administration for not acting in time to prevent damage.

They claim they were forced to dump truckloads of rocks along the beach to safeguard their properties. Says B.M. Khan, secretary, Kovalam Resort Owners' Welfare Association: "It wasn't the government which developed Kovalam into a popular destination but it was us locals. The least the government could have done was to act in time by dumping rocks. After all, they earn so much of foreign exchange because of Kovalam."

But the district administration lays the blame on hoteliers and restaurateurs. Says an exasperated Aruna Sundar Rajan, Thiru-vananthapuram district collector: "These people have constructed their structures right on the beach in violation of regulations and now want us to protect them from erosion. " The district administration, she revealed, faced tremendous resistance from the locals when proposals were made for construction of sea walls along the beach to prevent erosion. "Building up a wall, they feel, ruins their business as direct access to the sea is cut off." Agrees Jose Cyriac, Kerala's tourism secretary: "Kovalam is one of those areas where there has been no planning. No government agency has exercised any authority here and Kovalam is no longer a priority area for us to encourage new ventures."

While the damage is unavoidable after norms are violated, it can indeed be prevented if the beaches are not tampered with. Says Baba: "Kovalam can be saved by bringing sand from elsewhere to build the beach and by regulating the construction of buildings." But with the state's powerful tourism lobby having succeeded in pressuring the state government to seek exemptions in Coastal Regulation Zone norms for Kerala, regulations in Kovalam seem a pipe dream for the time being. And only the gods seem capable of ensuring a semblance of discipline along the pristine coast.