Saturday, February 5 2005 14:01 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Madurai: The Centre was considering various options, including construction of walls, along the costal areas in Tamil Nadu and other tsunami prone areas as a preventive measure against such disasters, Union Water Resources Minister Priya Ranjan Das Munshi today (Feb 5, 2005) said.

Natural barriers such as trees and developing mangrove forests were also being considered, he told reporters in Madurai.

A request had come from the Tamil Nadu Public Works Department to consider erection of walls to prevent damage by disasters like the tsunami, he said adding "The wall concept is being discussed with international experts...their durability, ecological impact have to be examined."

The conditions along the Indian coastal areas differed...there were differences in sea water...and land character and whatever suited - wall or natural barrier like mangrove forests - a particular area should be taken up.

Though the Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu had opposed the wall concept, Centre would have to consider its various aspects as it had come from the State Government, he said.

He expressed hope that a combination of sea-barriers would help though internationally mangrove was considered the best barrier.

He said the Central Government was in the process of providing deep bore-wells in Nagapattinam to provide water to the local people. It was also drawing up plans to desalinate the lands affected by the sea waters which entered the agriculture land in the coastal areas.

Referring to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's repeated charge that the Centre was bypassing the State in extending relief to the tsunami affected people, Munshi said tsunami was a big tragedy that caused calamity unseen earlier.

"If the Centre and State work together more could be achieved...together we can walk more distance than walking alone," he said.

The Government had also approached the Asian Development Bank for taking up programmes for containing sea erosion.