Mangalore: Rains Affect Fishing, Chauthi Celebrations - Sea Erosion Worsens

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Sep 2: Rain continued to pound the twin-districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada relentlessly on Thursday September1. Because of rains, the spirit of the people, who were preparing to visit various Lord Ganesha pandals on the occasion of Vinayaka Chaturthi, was affected.

The rainfall on Thursday was in excess of the previous days. There was a good downpour at night too, with the rainfall receding since Friday morning. Coastal Karnataka received an average of seven cm of  rain, and the meteorological department has predicted heavy rains in almost all regions in the state's coast and in some places in interior Karnataka. It has also predicted strong winds over sea.

In the meanwhile, the fishermen living on Karnataka coast have been frustrated over continued cyclonic conditions at sea. They have not been able to go fishing since some days because of the fact that the sea has turned turbulent. The fishing season had begun a few days back, and the fishermen had started to get good catches of good variety of fish, when cyclone poured cold water on their enthusiasm. They hope that sea will turn normal in a couple of days.

The labourers who depend on fishing activities, and fish vending women have become jobless now, as fishing ports wear a deserted look. Because of the fact that boats from far off ports have also got anchored here, the ports are finding shortage of space. Transportation of a little fish the boats are able to bring, and filling their tanks with diesel, has become cumbersome because of the inability of the boats to reach the shore. Some boats have also suffered damages because of friction as they are anchored close together, and there have been occasions in which the men of different boats quarrelled with each other.

In the meanwhile, sea erosion has worsened at Uchila Bada village in Udupi district, and the surging sea has, besides consuming huge boulders heaped by way of protective walls, has also been threatening a few houses located just 50 metres away. Several coconut trees and an electric pole were uprooted by violent waves. Udupi zilla panchayat president, Katapadi Shankar Poojary, visited the spot and promised to pursue the matter of building a permanent protective wall with higher authorities. The local leaders expressed anguish at the habit of the leaders to dole out promises and then doing nothing to address their grievances.