Popular coastal tourist destinations like Tajpur in East Midnapore and Mousuni Island in South 24-Parganas were severely affected by incessant rain and tidal waves in the past two days.
The heavy downpour and high tidal waves led to significant erosion of beaches and extensive damage to the tourism infrastructure in Tajpur and Mandarmani which is also in East Midnapore.
In Tajpur, seawater inundated large areas as earthen embankments were damaged by high tides.
A 1km stretch of the earthen dyke along the coast from Jaldha to Friends Goli and about 20 hotels and shops in Tajpur were damaged by the waves. Several temporary eateries were also damaged.
As the rising tides drew a huge number of tourists to Tajpur, parking vehicles became difficult since a large stretch of the coast used for the purpose was lost to erosion.
Swapan Dolai, a resident of Tajpur and a member of Ramnagar 1 panchayat samiti, said: “This erosion could have been prevented to some extent if a marine drive had been built along the 2km seashore from Tajpur to Jaldha canal similar to the one from Shankarpur to Tajpur.
The matter will be discussed at the next meeting of the panchayat samiti.”
Apart from Tajpur, an earthen dyke near Nayakali temple on the way to Shankarpur from Digha has broken with the onslaught of strong easterly winds. The irrigation department has started the repair of the embankment.
Mousuni Island, another popular tourist spot known for its natural beauty and serene environment, has not been spared either.
The island, located in a loop of the Chenai river connected to the Bay of Bengal, suffered erosion, endangering houses and about 20 homestays.
“Strong winds and incessant rain coupled with high tides caused the severe erosion of the island’s banks, threatening the stability of the area’s structure,
particularly at Saltgheri and Baliara,” Ramen Mondal, a villager said.
“The continued onslaught of the heavy rain and tidal waves could lead to more severe consequences if immediate and effective measures are not taken,” he added.
