‘Installed tetrapods to make access to sea convenient for pilgrims’

Kolkata: Following the installation of ‘tetrapods’ by the Irrigation and Waterways (I&W) department to stop erosion at Sagar Island, pilgrims are to have an easy access to the sea for the holy dip without having to wade through mud.

The Irrigation and Waterways department has installed a wave-dissipating concrete block known as ‘tetrapod’, covering a length of 400 metres, with the intention to trap the water when waves lash through these structures. This has led to the development of a full-fledged beach in two ghats.

There are five ghats where pilgrims take a dip but they are mostly muddy. Elaborating on the phenomena, a senior official of the I&W department said that the flow of sea current is from east to west. “The speed of the current is being slowed after hitting the tetrapod. Hence, silt has accumulated and developed into a beach just adjacent to the place where tetrapods have been laid,” he added.

Tetrapods use a tetrahedral shape to dissipate the force of incoming waves by allowing water to flow around rather than against them and reduce displacement by interlocking. It was installed to prevent further relocation of the Kapil Muni temple with the sea advancing at the rate of 15 metres a year. It is believed that the existing temple is the fourth one at the site after three structures built earlier were devoured by the sea.