Ports department proposes to build five groynes at Uchhila-Batpady to arrest sea erosion

The Ports Department proposes constructing five groynes at Uchhila-Batpady to mitigate sea erosion. These structures aim to stabilize the shoreline, reduce wave impact, and prevent further coastal erosion. The project seeks to protect local infrastructure, properties, and livelihoods dependent on the coast.

Why in News?

With offshore reefs and inshore berms failing to protect the Uchhila-Batpady beachfront from massive sea erosion in Ullal taluk, off Mangaluru, the Ports and Inland Water Transport Department has now proposed to build the time-tested groynes for beach protection and nourishment.

About Groynes:

1. These are active structure extending from the shore into the sea, most often perpendicular or slightly oblique to the shoreline. 
2. They’re usually made of wood, rock, or sometimes concrete and metal. 
3. They are designed to trap sediment, dissipate wave energy and restrict the transfer of sediment away from the beach through long shore drift.
   • Longshore drift is caused when prevailing winds blow waves across the shore at an angle which carries sediment along the beach. Groynes prevent this process and therefore slow the process of erosion at the shore.

Advantages:

1. 1. Groynes are easy to construct. They have long term durability and are low maintenance.
   2. They reduce the need for the beach to be maintained through beach nourishment and the recycling of sand.
   3. It traps sediment, leading to beach widening, reduced erosion and greater wave energy dissipation.
   4. It serves as a robust structure that can be used for long-term stabilization of coastlines used for societal activities.

Source : The Hindu