Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) has proved once again that it can reconstruct beach, sometimes creating islands by nourishing severely eroded beaches.
A few days after launching beach nourishment near Coastal Battery, the beachfront at RK Beach, the most frequented place in the city for relaxation, has improved in size significantly.
According to indications, once the exercise is over, there might also be possibility of creating an island. After a gap of 15 years, an island was created near RK Beach last year, which drifted subsequently towards the north.
Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT), as part of its responsibility to check beach erosion, has been engaging DCI for nourishing the beaches every year.
This year it assumed importance due to severe erosion that occurred near RK Beach, Kursura Submarine Museum and Fishing Harbour following formation of several systems such as Hudhud, Laila, Lehar, and Phailin in the Bay in quick succession.
DCI, a category-I mini ratna company with headquarters in the city, is nourishing the beach by bringing dredged material from New Sand Trap of Visakhapatnam Port. It is being used to fill the scoured beach area.
DCI has deployed its new trailer suction hopper dredger of 5,500 cubic metres hopper capacity, capable of rain bowing the dredged material. It could use nearly 1.60 lakh cubic metres of sand dredged as on Friday at an average of 18,000 cubic metres per day.
The total quantity of sand expected to be dredged this season would be around 2.5 lakh cubic metres, sources told The Hindu.
