BHUBANESWAR: Large-scale erosion of Olive Ridley nesting grounds in the State has prompted the Wildlife Wing to look for answers.While the Gahirmatha rookeries have already been facing major changes every year keeping the sea turtles away, the erosion of Rushikulya nesting grounds has woken up the Wildlife Wing. It has now entrusted the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, (IIT M) with the task to investigate the reasons.This year, the Rushikulya mouth eroded following a change in course by the river as a result of which the beach near Purunabandha was swallowed. The Berhampur Forest Division used to cordon off an area near Purunabandha where netted fence was erected to keep jackals and dogs at bay but the river moved away spoiling the location.After the Ocean Engineering Department of IIT Madras was asked to investigate the reasons, a team, led by Prof. S A Sennaisiraj, visited the site at the Rushikulya river mouth where it found sand pit formation and similar patterns.As part of the study process, the IIT Madras has now sought to know history of the river flow for the last two decades as well as details of constructions, such as dams, carried out on the upstream of the river.The trend of coastal erosion, however, has remained a worrying factor for Odisha coast in the last few years with climate change being attributed to it. Large stretches of the coast in Ganjam and Puri have faced erosion in the past half a decade.In Gahirmatha, the largest rookery, witnessed changes in beach profile as well as erosion in the past. The sand bars, created by tidal action and wind, have been dynamic over the years. Since the Olive Ridleys require a certain profile to nest, changes have kept them away. In the last few years, the number of turtles has dropped significantly.
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