Vizag Beach to become safer with AU working on Rip Currents.

The news is looking up on creating the Vizag beach with safe swimming zones.The idea here is to tackle the killer rip currents that lurk in the waves invisible to visitors.

Naval Research Board, Defense Research and Development Organisation and Indian Space Research Organisation are collaborating with Department of Meteorology and Oceanography of Andhra University to study Rip currents. Three research projects with funding from the above will conduct extensive research. Along the Vizag coast line, these currents render the vizag beach unsafe. Yarada, Rushikonda, RK Beach, Perupalem are places where one could fall prey. These are zones that see frequent occurrences of rip currents.

Rip Currents – Powerful currents going into sea and away from the shore. These currents cannot be seen through naked eye. This makes them very dangerous. These can be forecast a week ahead by using satellite imagery and numerical models. It is important in Vizag to predict the danger zones to let alerts be given well in time. The deployment of warning signs and lifeguards can be done accordingly.

Andhra University research – The new research projects will involve scientists from ISRO and three research fellows from AU. The research looks into projects with practical relevance. These are:

• Study of Rip currents.
• Study on underwater objects by using the technique of sound propagation Losses.
• Study of marine applications, oil spills and tanker accidents.

The need of the hour is the in depth knowledge and prediction of these currents. In Vizag the loss of life recorded along the coast is very high. the A.U research is a practical step forward in this direction.

Source -The Hindu