The seashores of Visakhapatnam, together with the well-known RK Seashore, have turn out to be harmful and have recorded a lot of deaths attributable to drowning in the previous few years. The specialists say that rip present is the primary side that has made the seashores harmful.

On a mean at the least 15 individuals are dying per 12 months in the primary seashores in Visakhapatnam comparable to RK Seashore, Rushikonda Seashore and Yarada Seashore.

The Rushikonda Seashore has already been licensed as a Blue Flag Seashore and with the elevated circulation of vacationers, a real-time warning system may assist the lifeguards to simply handle their lifesaving actions.

With this background, House Purposes Centre (SAC), Indian House Analysis Organisation (ISRO) is collaboratively working with Division of Meteorology and Oceanography, Andhra College, and Nationwide Centre for Earth Science Research (NCESS), Thiruvananthapuram, on a two-year SAMUDRA programme in growing an automatic rip present alert system by way of Video Seashore Monitoring System (VBMS).

This technique consists of a digital camera put in on a high of a tower close by Rushikonda Seashore. The required permissions have been granted by the APTDC and the District Collector, Visakhapatnam. This VBMS station has been established on Could 14, and the seaside is now repeatedly being monitored. This digital camera knowledge will probably be of utmost essential in not solely finding out and understanding the seaside processes and rip currents, but additionally useful in aiding the lifeguards in case of any drowning occasion, mentioned C.V. Naidu, Principal Investigator, SAMUDRA, AU, and Head of the Division, Meteorology and Oceanography, AU.

AU is offering general steering and native assist to the group comprising S.V.V. Arun Kumar, Scientist (Principal Investigator, SAMUDRA, SAC) and Kanika from House Purposes Centre, Ramesh (Co-Principal Investigator, SAMUDRA, NCESS), Scientist from NCESS Ch. Venkateswarlu and B. Gireesh (AU analysis scholar).

These centres are working collectively in growing an automatic rip present monitoring system, which might assist in figuring out harmful rip currents with out a lot effort. This info shall be shared with the authorities involved and thereby they will restrict the entry to such zones. This might not solely improve the protection at seashores but additionally cut back the variety of drownings.

This VBMS station knowledge could be utilised in growing and enhancing the numerical mannequin primarily based forecasts and due to this fact they will present higher outcomes. Presently, ISRO is offering rip present forecast to almost 175 seashores by way of its personal platform on MOSDAC. As part of this venture, the group have deployed a Directional Wave and Tide Recorder instrument at 5 m depth to observe the waves and tides for the subsequent 10 days off Rushikonda. ISRO has developed an indigenous NavIC (Indian GPS) drifter to measure such harmful rip currents together with essential water high quality parameters. This drifter is being operated at Rushikonda seaside and is getting used to measure the currents and different parameters, mentioned Prof. Naidu.

CoastSnap software

In accordance with him, the group goes to arrange a CoastSnap software (A digital camera stand) close to RK Seashore and Rushikonda Seashore, which offers entry to the widespread man to take a photograph of the seaside utilizing his or her cell phone and facilitate the group to share with the central database by way of Fb and Instagram, thereby involving everybody on this noble trigger. This knowledge could be of utmost significance find out modifications within the seaside exercise occasionally.

In future, the groups have deliberate to arrange extra stations close to RK Seashore, Yarada and Bheemunipatnam with the assist from the APTDC to observe and forecast harmful rip currents and seaside erosion processes for the advantage of the general public.