SYLLABUS SECTION: GS III (ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY)
WHY IN THE NEWS?
Residents of two South Mumbai buildings have written to the BMC about the vibrations to remove the tetra pods.
WHAT ARE TETRA PODS?
- Tetra pod in Greek means four-legged. These are four-leg concrete structures that are place along coastlines to prevent erosion and water damage.
- Tetra pods were first use in France in the late 1940s to protect the shore from the sea.
- They are typically place together to form an interlocking but porous barrier that dissipates the power of waves and currents.
- These are large structures, sometimes weighing up to 10 tons, and interlocked tetra pods act as a barrier that remains stable against the rocks when buffeted by waves.
- Tetra pods, each weighing about 2 tons, were place along Marine Drive in the late 1990s to break and dissipate waves and maintain the reclaim shoreline in South Mumbai.
WHY WERE THE TETRAPODS REMOVED FROM THE MARINE DRIVE AREA?
- They were temporarily remove to help carry out reclamation for the ongoing Coastal Road Project — 10.58 km of coastal road from Princess Street in Marine Drive to the Worli end of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.
- The BMC has not officially stated that the removal of the tetrapods caused the vibrations, it has agreed to re-install the structures.
- The reason for the vibrations was high tide, furious high waves, and the speed of the gusty winds.
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SOURCE: INDIAN EXPRESS