The onslaught of the waves

The scenic Koggola sea belt, a tourist attraction, is being subjected to severe coastal erosion.

A 1.5 km long, 30m wide stretch of beach is being washed away, and parapet walls, Pandanaceae plants ( Wetake), coconut trees and other protective buffers have perished, having failed against the onslaught of the waves.

The rough sea waves continue to cause great damage to the beaches near Hotel Koggala and a few other hotels.

Lasantha Wijeyaratne, an environmentalist, said, ‘This area in Koggala has been subject to constant coastal erosion. There was a special quality of soft sand in this area, not found in other parts of our country, but now we have lost this beautiful, enchanting environment due to coastal erosion. This has greatly affected about 15 hotels engaged in the tourist industry.’

He added, ‘If no action is taken to prevent further coastal erosion, these hotels would be devoured by the hungry sea.’

Meanwhile Thalwila, Mahawewa of t he Puttalam District has also experienced major coastal erosion due to exposure to the rough sea waves.

The road along the coastline has been severely eroded and a 1 km long stretch of the coast has been completely washed away.

The Department of Coast Conservation and Coastal Resource Management have used rock revetments to fight this coastal erosion.

However, residents complain that the project is not sustainable. They ask the authorities to take immediate steps to prevent further coastal erosion and restore the area to its former glory.