The famous Tiruchendur Arulmigu Subramaniya Swamy Temple in Tiruchendur, visited by millions of devotees million to celebrate various festivals throughout the year, is facing threat of erosion and a shore protection wall made of polypropylene gabion boxes filled with granite boxes has been proposed by Inidian Institute of Technology Madras to resist the fury of sea waves. It is learnt that the temple administration is seeking the clearance of Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authoritry's clearance for the Rs 19.80 crore project.
Official sources said that the Ocean Engineering Department of IIT Madras has proposed a seawall section for 520 m long along the temple complex to safeguard the eastern side of the compound wall and existing structures close to the sea. It is learnt that Gabion boxes of upto 20 metres towards sea from the xisting compound wall is proposed to be installed along the coast.
The boxes are the net enclosures woven by polypropylene rope. The nets form as cages of which will be filled with stone boulders. They would act as armour against the waves. The filled gabion boxes will be transported and placed at the existing sea wall in line and maintaining the design slope using a crane. The boxes will be placed without gaps between the adjoining units.
However, the hitch is that the state has not prepared a Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) as mandated by the National Green tribunal in its direction on April 11, 2022. It has directed that pending preparation or updation of such SMPs by coastal states or union territories no hard structures for erosion control be raised or constructed. Sources that since the proposed project is only repair and reconstruction, the NGT order may not be applicable for repairing the sea wall.
The temple complex on the eastern side corridor has been experiencing erosion since 1960. The waves are breaking close to the compound wall particularly in June-July (southwest monsoon) and November- December (northeast monsoon). Seawall was built by dumping stones in 1963 and it has been periodically repaired. The beach erosion over the last 60 years had so advanced that the eastern side of the temple complex now falls close to the high tide line, according to a study done by Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments through Indomer Coastal Hydraulics. The report stated that natural calcareous/pearl/coral reefs, which existed during historical time at 1km distance offshore, were destroyed due to illegal mining and the damaged reef is not offering protection to the shore from the waves.
During monsoon, these damaged reefs are not able to attenuate the high waves, which approach the shore, break on compound walls and cause erosion. It has recommended the reconstruction of damaged reefs by placing artificial reefs consisting of concrete hollow shell blocks, which will protect the shore, increase fish breeding and help coral/pearl growth.
The study by HR&CE department states that the concrete cubes were dumped along the eroded part of the shore in 2018. The shore protection efforts are being carried out in a haphazard manner without any scientific approach resulting in erosion and threat posed to the temple complex.
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