Uppada Coast: A Boon and a Bane for People of Eight Villages
According to the government records, there has been ingress of sea over 1,360 acres of land. Besides, two ancient temples, two guest houses and thousands of houses have got washed away during sea surges.
Kakinada: Uppada coast near Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh provides livelihoods to thousands of traditional fishermen dependent on the Bay of Bengal. At the same time, nearly eight villages in the area within the U. Kothapalli mandal face a threat, which could be life threatening, whenever there is a cyclone in the sea.
Significantly, the villagers living along the coast are mostly reluctant to vacate their villages even when officials with better information of the calamity prod them. They believe the sea will not harm them as Goddess Ganganamma Thalli always protects them.
The story repeated when Cyclone Montha had been approaching. Officials and police had a tough time persuading the fishermen to shift to the nearby rehabilitation centres. A woman told the officials that they are living in the area for decades together. They have seen many cyclones and disasters, but they are not afraid as Ganganamma Thalli protects them.
One official ingeniously suggested that the fishermen could have their lunch at the rehabilitation centre and return in case they so desired. This prompted fishermen to have their lunch. By the time they returned, NDRF and SDRF teams had taken position and refused to allow them back.
Parvathamma, one of the villagers, protested that they have seen five roads being swallowed by the sea during the past five decades. But the government has not found a permanent solution to protect their villages.
According to the government records, there has been ingress of sea over 1,360 acres of land. Besides, two ancient temples, two guest houses and thousands of houses have got washed away during sea surges.
During 2004–2009, the then union minister M.M. Pallam Raju took up the matter and got a retaining Geo-Tube Wall constructed at Uppada. But the wall is now damaged, mainly due to negligence of fishermen themselves.
Now, Pithapuram MLA and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan said the central government has agreed to sanction Rs 390 crore for constructing a wall to protect the coast. The Deputy CM has threatened to resign in case the central government does not release the funds.