Vizag Beach : When variable good things meet, they bring in astonishing beauty. So is the case of Vizag beach. Left with a variety of potential to explore, there is hardly any outcome; courtesy to ignorant environmentalists. Visakhapatnam beaches were once considered heaven by locals and outsiders. There was much lesser pollution with palm trees dotted greenery standing proud along the coast to add sweetness in the climate.
Fast forward to 2017 and you find nothing of the sort anymore. The beaches are all polluted, traffic just keeps growing and most importantly there are no more trees around. We all know how every little bit of plantation got wiped out post Hud-Hud. But that doesn’t mean it was great prior to it. More over, the environmental department has totally shadowed the necessity of plantations along our coast, regardless their word being given to develop plantations.
An official from Andhra University, Prof AJ Solomon reportedly briefed on the importance of 3-Tier plantation along our coast. 3-Tier plantation is a method where three different variety of plants get cultivated in order to elevate overall climatic condition. The official from AU also mentions Vizag beaches being prone to cyclones for lack of proper trees.
To add more on 3-Tier plantation, coastal environment professional Panchagnula Ramesh shared his idea on considering cashew, casuarinas and palm trees in the 3-Tier plantation category. Also, he suggested considering 3-Tier plantation over a single tier, reason being healthier atmospheric conditions and added protection for the people living near coast from strong winds. He reportedly conveyed his dissatisfaction towards the environmental care taking authorities for focusing only on decorative trees while disregarding beaches.
A renowned civil engineer of the city, PV Krishnamurthy, majorly highlighted an issue on how locals from the outskirts started trespassing and occupying our coasts after Hud-Hud. “If not taken proper measures, we will lose our beaches soon”, he added.
On a separate note, it was announced today that Rs 200 crore has been assigned to develop the coast in the next two years*. Speaking about the same, Collector Pravin Kumar stated that the administration plans to develop the seven beaches in the city as well as focus on eco-tourism across 9000 hectares of land. It remains to be seen how much of the budget assigned will be used for preservation instead of beautification in the name of ‘eco-tourism’.
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