Hidden behind sea walls
tsunami-hit Kerala is witnessing a hot debate on the effectiveness of sea walls. The state government has requested the Union government to provide it Rs 757 crore for reconstruction and rehabilitation work. A sizeable portion of this will be spent on sea wall construction off the coast at Kollam and Alappuzha, the worst affected. But while scientists and fisherfolk raise doubts about the effectiveness of sea walls, the Kerala Swathanthra Matsya Thozhilali Federation (ksmtf) also alleges that the government is trying to help "the contractor-construction lobby'.
"The government held consultations with scientists, but they did not agree on the advisability of constructing sea walls to protect the coasts