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Flag of the Seychelles |
Greeting to all
Sandwatchers
Anse Kerlan beach, on the island of
Praslin in Seychelles, has been for a long time under the attack
of wave erosion, especially during the South-East Monsoon.
Following the December tsunami in 2004 the situation has worsened,
so much so that some of the Praslin Secondary School teachers
living in that area decided to move out since they felt that now
more than ever they were at the mercy of the mighty sea. |
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The Small Islands Voice Youth Group,
being a group, which is eager to discover new things, and who
want to contribute to the development of our community, put what
we learnt at school in practice, and decided to carry out a
mini-project in this area. The aim of the project was to collect
information to assess the effect and rate of erosion. We did
this at three sites along the area of study.
The tsunami has helped to change the gradient and shape of the
beach and to make what were once grass-covered yards in front of
the houses in the vicinity, areas completely covered by great
depth of sand.
We collected as much information as possible about our beach.
Based on our conclusions we recommended to the Ministry of
Environment and Marine Resources that (1) they carry out a more
detailed study; (2) the Small Islands Voice Youth continue their
study; (3) more trees be planted to hold the sand; and (4) that
the present system of groynes should be modified and that
underwater
stabilisers be constructed.
(Underwater stabilisers are geotextile tubes, filled with
concrete or sand, and placed underwater perpendicular to the
shoreline. They are designed to help to reduce wave energy and
turbulence, thus making the area calmer).
By Ms.Anabelle Hoareau,
Praslin Secondary School, Seychelles |
