Visakhapatnam: Beach Road vulnerable to natural disasters, says expert
The Hindu
CRZ norms must be strictly adhered to, says NIDM professor
One of the most beautiful attractions of Visakhapatnam city is its 30-km Beach Road stretch that extends from Naval Coastal Battery to Bheemunipatnam. However, the entire stretch has a high risk perception as it is vulnerable to natural disasters.
This is the opinion of Prof. Surya Parkash from the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), who heads the Geo-Meteorological Risks Management Division and also the CBRN, Industrial and Cyber DRR Division. He is in the city to address a week-long national-level workshop on Multi-Hazard Risk Reduction being organised by NIDM and GVMC.
Speaking to The Hindu on Wednesday, Prof. Surya Parkash said that the seawater level is rising, which is primarily due to the increase in seawater temperature and melting of glaciers, which will eventually impact all coastal cities across the globe, including Visakhapatnam.
“I have come to understand that there have been incidents of the beach road caving in at some places. This itself is an indication and it is not advisable to build roads, permanent structures or high-rise buildings close to the coast on this stretch. But unfortunately, I find many such structures,” he said.
According to him, the two most important aspects for mitigation or prevention of disasters are strict curbing of violations by the authorities concerned and raising awareness among people.
“Authorities concerned should step in wherever there are violations of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms, and at the same time, people should understand the consequences of climate shift,” he said.
“As far as awareness building is concerned, we are trying to implement a subject on disasters and their management from the school-level itself,” said Prof. Surya Parkash.