Fort Kochi beach was once upon a time a marvel of a place, playground, public maiden, lovers paradise, family get-together, the flying kite encounters of the Gujaratis, venue for New Year Celebrations, etc.
But in the 15th century, Vasco-da-Gama would have walked down the beach along with Cabral, the Commander of the Portuguese forces,Alphonso Alburqerque Van Rheed, the Dutch Governor who was responsible for getting the encyclopedia of Kerala herbs, Hortus Malabaricus published, many Dutchmen whose graves are interred in the Dutch cemetery close to the edge of the Beach, and Sir Robert Bristow, who would have walked up and down the beach atleast thousand times along with Mathewson Bosanquet, and Pierce Leslie, Aspinwall, Day, William Goodacre, would have taken a stroll with their ladies during the moon lit nights. Gandhiji had addressed a meeting from a padestral constructed on the beach where more than thousand people gathered to hear him. The noted musician Yesudas would have murmured a tune whenever he visited this beach during his childhood. So also Rani Chandra, Antony, T S Muthiah well known late actors would have perambulated through its lanes. S Koder, a respected well known Jew has his residence very much near the beach side.
But today, the Fort Kochi beach is in water. The sands on the coast have been washed away by the lazy Sea, and only a pathetic past post stand as a grandeur to the former Fort Kochi beach, which would have received many of the Westerners who came to India, and their first post of call was Kerala in general and Cochin in particular.
Parade Maidan, is girdled by rows of the ‘Flame of the Forest’ trees in full bloom. The ancient lofty St Francis Church where Vasco da Gama’s remains are buried imparts a historic touch to the surroundings. What is more, Fort Cochin, with its cluster of old Western side buildings and narrow alleys, still in a state of excellent preservation, reminds a visitor of the important part played by it as the earliest European settlement in India. Parade Maidan was a battle field of yore. Cameons in his ‘Lusiad’ extols the exploits of the valiant Paeheco and the ‘Battle of Vaipin’. The original war was fought on this ground. The fierce fight between the Raja of Cochin and Zamorin was fought here. As the Zamorin could not win the war, he fled with a couple of soldiers. Some of his soldiers crossed the ferry to Vaipin. But the Cochin Raja bribed the boatmen and when they reached the middle of the backwaters, they drowned all the soldiers. This was the spot where 500 years later Sir Robert Bristow widened the lake and made the entry to Cochin port from the Sea. This was known as the Cochin channel. Zamorin’s soldiers had a watery grave. When the Zamorin and his trusted soldiers reached Vaipin along the land route, they were greeted by the dead corpses greeted them. The entire entourage fled to Munampam where a fierce encounter between the Cochin Raja aided by his foreign friends and the Zamorin ensued. Zamorin was utterly defeated and the war ended with Zamorin ceding North Parur to Raja of Cochin. The Dutch is believed to have clashed with the Portuguese at this maidan.
The Sea erosion and the great flood of the Periyar caused an opening of an estuary which is today’s entrance to Cochin port. This was known as Cochin Channel. There were many Ports which were world famous and found in the maritime maps. Muziris was a well known Port which was well known to the people of Arabia and the Orient. It was said that these voyagers who would come to Cochin rested in the Anjidiv Island off the coast of Karwar. The Romans called it ‘Algidioum’, the Arabs termed it as ‘Allan Gudde’, and Parasurama who is said to have reclaimed the land from the Sea from Gokarna to Cape Comorian is said to have got plenty of milk from the island for propitiation. The Portuguese colonized the island and built a Fort and a Church. The church was a conversion of a temple of a Devi. The Portuguese called it ‘Lady Brothas Church’. There is sweet water well though surrounded on all sides by saltish sea Water. This is the only Church in the whole world dedicated to Lady Brothas. Brothas in Portuguese mean, ‘never failing spring’. Beautiful and costly stones, carvings on the walls, precious carpets, bell, all rare, were in the Church. The Sultan of Bijapur attacked the island and destroyed the Fort. When Sivaji invaded Sadashivgad, the English ran for safety to Anjiv Island. Today, the island has two ponds, graves of Englishmen, Lady Brothas Church in a dilapidated form, a ruined fort, and coconut palms. Today, it is part of I.N.S. Kadamba. Upto 1963, it was part of the Portuguese along with Goa, Diu, Daman.
The beautiful beaches of Fort Kochin are old fable. From Chellanam to Fort Kochi, there is neither coast nor a beach line. Along the water edge of Fort Cochin, on the narrow pass-way to the harbour, are a line of Chinese fishing nets, the first virtual symbol of ancient trade and age old shared influences. Today, they are in deep water. According to people of the area, the Sea was slowly encroaching on the beach sands over a long period of time. No body has bothered to evaluate the erosion, and no body worries about any steps to prevent sea erosion. Every time, due to Sea erosion, valuable land has been lost.
The people of the area demand that instead of putting granite stones, big boulders on the beaches to prevent sea erosion, it would be better to build ‘gronium’ (or strong groyne like that was done by Bristow) to remove seepage, sea erosion, and breaches in the barricades to prevent gushing water which would inundate the lands situated adjoining the Sea coast. They also claim that there is some result for making a wall filled with sand bags to checkmate sea erosion. They attribute this soil erosion which has become ferocious for the last two decades, due to reclamation of land at Vallarpadam, Bolghatty, and across the Marine drive. Unscientific dredging has been a culprit, as the withdrawal of bar of heavy sand that is pulled by the sea currents to deepen the depth of the channel, has been responsible for nature’s fury. Cochin Port Trust is said to have conducted seismic studies, and the report has found nothing wrong. National Institute of Oceanography is conducting another study. But reclamation of land from backwaters or Sea would cause Sea erosion. There are examples to that effect.
A living shoreline is always going to help. Planting plenty of seaweed and creating an environment to attract sea creatures to the shore lines. More life means less chance of erosion, which is exactly what you're going for. A new technique, living shorelines are coasts in which shellfish have been planted. The shells attract aquatic life, which prevents erosion naturally. Nature itself is a solution to mend eroded coastlines. Planting tones of oyster shells to form angular breakwater, will draw aquatic life drawn to shells can create’ Living shoreline’ preventing coastal erosion. Young fish that move into it. Oyster shells placed in brackish waters with good tide flow will become rapidly colonized by a multitude of marine critters, including oysters, algae, worms, barnacles, crabs, small minnows and fish. Living shorelines are the best way to stop sea erosion. Change in mindset is slow to come. However, living shorelines generally don’t work in deep sea water where you have significant drop right at the shoreline.
Whatever the options are Vallarpadam Container terminal which will buzz in more economy through goods, services and employment would in its wake also bring natural problems. These recurring problems should be assessed and precautions should be in place well in advance, otherwise the economic gains of Vallarpadam Container terminal would be eaten away by the coastal erosion and sea erosion which would cost the exchequer heavily. Environmental prevention schemes are often put off, because people become miserly to incur costs to protect the environment. But the environmental fury can never be checked by human innovation.
But in the 15th century, Vasco-da-Gama would have walked down the beach along with Cabral, the Commander of the Portuguese forces,Alphonso Alburqerque Van Rheed, the Dutch Governor who was responsible for getting the encyclopedia of Kerala herbs, Hortus Malabaricus published, many Dutchmen whose graves are interred in the Dutch cemetery close to the edge of the Beach, and Sir Robert Bristow, who would have walked up and down the beach atleast thousand times along with Mathewson Bosanquet, and Pierce Leslie, Aspinwall, Day, William Goodacre, would have taken a stroll with their ladies during the moon lit nights. Gandhiji had addressed a meeting from a padestral constructed on the beach where more than thousand people gathered to hear him. The noted musician Yesudas would have murmured a tune whenever he visited this beach during his childhood. So also Rani Chandra, Antony, T S Muthiah well known late actors would have perambulated through its lanes. S Koder, a respected well known Jew has his residence very much near the beach side.
But today, the Fort Kochi beach is in water. The sands on the coast have been washed away by the lazy Sea, and only a pathetic past post stand as a grandeur to the former Fort Kochi beach, which would have received many of the Westerners who came to India, and their first post of call was Kerala in general and Cochin in particular.
Parade Maidan, is girdled by rows of the ‘Flame of the Forest’ trees in full bloom. The ancient lofty St Francis Church where Vasco da Gama’s remains are buried imparts a historic touch to the surroundings. What is more, Fort Cochin, with its cluster of old Western side buildings and narrow alleys, still in a state of excellent preservation, reminds a visitor of the important part played by it as the earliest European settlement in India. Parade Maidan was a battle field of yore. Cameons in his ‘Lusiad’ extols the exploits of the valiant Paeheco and the ‘Battle of Vaipin’. The original war was fought on this ground. The fierce fight between the Raja of Cochin and Zamorin was fought here. As the Zamorin could not win the war, he fled with a couple of soldiers. Some of his soldiers crossed the ferry to Vaipin. But the Cochin Raja bribed the boatmen and when they reached the middle of the backwaters, they drowned all the soldiers. This was the spot where 500 years later Sir Robert Bristow widened the lake and made the entry to Cochin port from the Sea. This was known as the Cochin channel. Zamorin’s soldiers had a watery grave. When the Zamorin and his trusted soldiers reached Vaipin along the land route, they were greeted by the dead corpses greeted them. The entire entourage fled to Munampam where a fierce encounter between the Cochin Raja aided by his foreign friends and the Zamorin ensued. Zamorin was utterly defeated and the war ended with Zamorin ceding North Parur to Raja of Cochin. The Dutch is believed to have clashed with the Portuguese at this maidan.
The Sea erosion and the great flood of the Periyar caused an opening of an estuary which is today’s entrance to Cochin port. This was known as Cochin Channel. There were many Ports which were world famous and found in the maritime maps. Muziris was a well known Port which was well known to the people of Arabia and the Orient. It was said that these voyagers who would come to Cochin rested in the Anjidiv Island off the coast of Karwar. The Romans called it ‘Algidioum’, the Arabs termed it as ‘Allan Gudde’, and Parasurama who is said to have reclaimed the land from the Sea from Gokarna to Cape Comorian is said to have got plenty of milk from the island for propitiation. The Portuguese colonized the island and built a Fort and a Church. The church was a conversion of a temple of a Devi. The Portuguese called it ‘Lady Brothas Church’. There is sweet water well though surrounded on all sides by saltish sea Water. This is the only Church in the whole world dedicated to Lady Brothas. Brothas in Portuguese mean, ‘never failing spring’. Beautiful and costly stones, carvings on the walls, precious carpets, bell, all rare, were in the Church. The Sultan of Bijapur attacked the island and destroyed the Fort. When Sivaji invaded Sadashivgad, the English ran for safety to Anjiv Island. Today, the island has two ponds, graves of Englishmen, Lady Brothas Church in a dilapidated form, a ruined fort, and coconut palms. Today, it is part of I.N.S. Kadamba. Upto 1963, it was part of the Portuguese along with Goa, Diu, Daman.
The beautiful beaches of Fort Kochin are old fable. From Chellanam to Fort Kochi, there is neither coast nor a beach line. Along the water edge of Fort Cochin, on the narrow pass-way to the harbour, are a line of Chinese fishing nets, the first virtual symbol of ancient trade and age old shared influences. Today, they are in deep water. According to people of the area, the Sea was slowly encroaching on the beach sands over a long period of time. No body has bothered to evaluate the erosion, and no body worries about any steps to prevent sea erosion. Every time, due to Sea erosion, valuable land has been lost.
The people of the area demand that instead of putting granite stones, big boulders on the beaches to prevent sea erosion, it would be better to build ‘gronium’ (or strong groyne like that was done by Bristow) to remove seepage, sea erosion, and breaches in the barricades to prevent gushing water which would inundate the lands situated adjoining the Sea coast. They also claim that there is some result for making a wall filled with sand bags to checkmate sea erosion. They attribute this soil erosion which has become ferocious for the last two decades, due to reclamation of land at Vallarpadam, Bolghatty, and across the Marine drive. Unscientific dredging has been a culprit, as the withdrawal of bar of heavy sand that is pulled by the sea currents to deepen the depth of the channel, has been responsible for nature’s fury. Cochin Port Trust is said to have conducted seismic studies, and the report has found nothing wrong. National Institute of Oceanography is conducting another study. But reclamation of land from backwaters or Sea would cause Sea erosion. There are examples to that effect.
A living shoreline is always going to help. Planting plenty of seaweed and creating an environment to attract sea creatures to the shore lines. More life means less chance of erosion, which is exactly what you're going for. A new technique, living shorelines are coasts in which shellfish have been planted. The shells attract aquatic life, which prevents erosion naturally. Nature itself is a solution to mend eroded coastlines. Planting tones of oyster shells to form angular breakwater, will draw aquatic life drawn to shells can create’ Living shoreline’ preventing coastal erosion. Young fish that move into it. Oyster shells placed in brackish waters with good tide flow will become rapidly colonized by a multitude of marine critters, including oysters, algae, worms, barnacles, crabs, small minnows and fish. Living shorelines are the best way to stop sea erosion. Change in mindset is slow to come. However, living shorelines generally don’t work in deep sea water where you have significant drop right at the shoreline.
Whatever the options are Vallarpadam Container terminal which will buzz in more economy through goods, services and employment would in its wake also bring natural problems. These recurring problems should be assessed and precautions should be in place well in advance, otherwise the economic gains of Vallarpadam Container terminal would be eaten away by the coastal erosion and sea erosion which would cost the exchequer heavily. Environmental prevention schemes are often put off, because people become miserly to incur costs to protect the environment. But the environmental fury can never be checked by human innovation.
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