Sea erosion casts a shadow over Kallar fishing hamlet near Nagapattinam

Residents of Kallar village looking at at the damage caused by sea erosion on the beach under Akkaraipettai panchayat in Nagapattinam district.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Waves lashing the fibre boats parked on the Kallar beach in Nagapattinam district.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The sea is inching close to the fishing hamlet of Kallar near Nagapattinam, fuelling fears of inundation and displacement among 500-odd families. The families say their repeated pleas to the authorities for protection have gone unanswered.

Residents of Kallar and neighbouring Puthiya Kallar depend on the fishing harbour and shoreline. But over the past few days, strong waves have eroded the shoreline, pushing up seawater deep into the shore and setting off a chain of damage — boats smashing into each other, fishing nets being dragged away, and saline water incursion.

“When the sea turns ferocious, it affects us very badly. The sea and the shore are our only property and livelihood — we have nothing else,” said an elderly fisherman Chitanandam K., as fibre boats lay piled up precariously on the narrow strip of sand.

According to villagers, stone revetments were dumped along the coast a few years ago when the sea lay nearly half a kilometre away. “Now the water has crossed the stones and advanced more than 150 feet inland,” said Mr. Chitanandam, pointing to waves breaking beyond the old protective line. Over 100 fibre boats, which are repaired and parked along the beach because fishing is the sole occupation here, are now exposed to constant damage.

S. Chandrakala, Roshini N. and S. Revathi said the waves frequently pull away nets left on the shore, compounding losses. “If this continues, we will have no option but to vacate the entire village,” one of them said. “Every year the sea comes closer.”

The existing seawall, built a decade ago, covers only a part of the coastline. “At that time, the sea was far away. Now it has crossed the wall, and the uncovered stretch is letting water straight into the village,” residents said and demanded an extension of stone bunds along at least 500 metres of the shore to halt further intrusion.

The impact is spreading inland. Villagers say freshwater sources have turned brackish, affecting nearly 400 families in and around the hamlet, including nearby agricultural lands. Groundwater salinity, they warn, threatens both drinking water and farming.

Beyond erosion, Kallar’s residents point to chronic neglect: poor access roads to the beach, no net-mending centre, inadequate drinking water supply, lack of street lights and no all-weather route for vehicles that transport fish. “When it rains, we cannot even take our catch to market,” a fisherman said.

Repeated petitions to the district administration and elected representatives have so far yielded no relief.

When The Hindu contacted, a senior official in the Nagapattinam district administration said the issue would be examined and that appropriate steps would be taken after an inspection.