Rough sea keeps fishermen ashore for fourth day

CUDDALORE: Fishermen in the district have not ventured into the sea for the past four days owing to the unusually rough sea.

Incursion of seawater is another factor worrying those living along the coast. The affected areas include the Silver Beach in Cuddalore. The boulders that constitute a protective wall along the Thevanampattinam coast have to come loose due to strong waves.

According to fishermen, roots of the coconut trees to which they tie their boats had been weakened, forcing them to drag their boats away from the shore, which involved a lot of effort.

But, for want of space, all boats cannot be secured this way.

The fishermen, who were incurring a loss on account of not going out fishing, now faced the additional threat of damaged craft.

In Chinnamudaliyarchavadi village in Villupuram, fishermen complained that seawater was getting closer to their tenements. Collector R. Palanisamy visited the place on Friday and told them that a proposal to construct a 3.5-km long protective wall at a cost of Rs.23 crore would be sent to the government. Another proposal, to place boulders on the Chinnamudaliyarchavadi coast, estimated to cost Rs.40 lakh, would also be sent to the government.