L Arun Oscar | ENS ERAYUMANTHURAI fishing hamlet, southernmost villagein Kanyakumari district is the worst affected by sea erosion and is in the danger of disappearing from the map. Located between the Arabian Sea, AVM Canal and the perennial Thamirabarani River, Erayumanthurai is very vulnerable for sea erosion. The sea has engulfed more than half its land eating away rows of houses, coconut trees and fishing equipment worth lakhs. During monsoon, the heavily flooded river enters the village, causing more damage. For the villagers, fishing is the only occupation and during such times, they are the worst affected. However, the village continues to survive due to a weak and permeable wall, which is slowly collapsing as the sand from beneath continues to get washed away. A number of representations to the district headquarters and the Secretariat in Chennai has yielded no action. Twenty years ago, the distance between the sea and the river was about 700 metres with eight rows of houses, besides a road, Erayumanthurai parish council member Dunston told Express. But now the distance was merely 50 metres with rows of houses, due to sea erosion. He said in 1982, when an anti-sea erosion wall was constructed, the population was 7,000 and now it has dwindled to just 2,500. Priest Ignatius Russel said: