Residents of the coastal village of Chellanam have had a rude awakening with places in its neighbourhood experiencing sea swell on Sunday even as Chellanam itself escaped unscathed. Reports from neighbouring Alappuzha beaches, including Andhakaranazhi, Purakkad and Pallithode, said fishing gear and boats sustained damage in the unusually high waves that hit the shores.
Such dry season sea swells are usual during this time of the year and artisanal fishermen have said that the phenomenon is a common experience as the atmospheric temperature rises. But it had to be investigated whether the unusual heat conditions had added to the situation, said sources in the Advanced Centre For Atmospheric Radar Research at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat).
Fishermen have also cited academics tentatively linking the phenomenon, locally called ‘kallakadal’ (wayward behaviour of the sea), to warming of the ocean waters off the north-west coast of Australia resulting in the formation of a low pressure area. That, combined with the impact of the full moon, should be looked into, said Charles George of independent fishermen’s union Matsya Thozhilali Aikya Vedi.
Jackson Pollayil, a representative of a fishermen’s group in Alappuzha, said sea swells were common during the months of March and April. “However, this time the phenomenon has been more widespread as reported from across the coastal belt in the State,” he said.
Mr. George said the cause of the phenomenon should be addressed and the findings made public.
V. T. Sebastian, a resident of Chellanam, said sea swell did not affect the village largely because the sea close to the coastal village was deep and the waves did not come over the tetrapod walls. He said sea swells were more pronounced in areas marked by shallow coast like the Fort Kochi area.
