With the coastline from Nakkapalli to Bheemunipatnam in Visakhapatnam district susceptible to beach erosion, the Visakhapatnam port takes up beach nourishment every year as it is a scientifically proven method, said Visakhapatnam Port Trust Chairman MT Krishna Babu.

He told the media here on Friday that this year, the beach nourishment began on February 6 and will continue till March first week. “We estimate to pump around 3 lakh cubic metres of sand,” he said.

Last year, the the Dredging Corporation of India had bagged VPT’s global tender for beach nourishment for three years, for ₹40 crore. In 2017, around 1.05 lakh cubic metres of sand was pumped at a cost of ₹11.09 crore; the cost may go up to ₹18.37 crore this year.

A survey had identified 210 km of Andhra Pradesh coast line (out of the total 974 km) as danger zones. “In Visakhapatnam, a number of structures in the sea are increasing the risk of erosion. The Kurusura (Submarine) Museum is a vulnerable spot and this year we will be pumping the sand near the museum as recommended by NIOT (National Institute of Ocean Technology).”

Babu said Deltares — an independent institute in the Netherlands specialising in research in water and sub-surface — has been given a contract to prepare a DPR (Detailed Project Report) on methods to arrest beach erosion. “The total project cost is around ₹150 crore, and Deltares will give us the engineering design, tender estimates and technical support. The report should be ready by January 2019.”

Port performance

He said the port will handle 64 million tonnes of cargo by the end of the financial year, compared with 61 million tonnes the previous year.

He said that with increasing trade with Nepal, the port has requested the Nepal government to set up a consulate office in the city.

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