Date:23/08/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/08/23/stories/2007082360010300.htm

N.S.N. Raju, technical officer, National Institute of Oceanography:

“While the effects of waves, currents, tides and wind are primary natural factors that influence the coast, the other aspects eroding the coastline include the sand sources and sinks, changes in relative sea level, geomorphological characteristics of the shore and sand. But sooner or later, if erosion is not curbed, human populations may be faced with only one choice: retreat from the sea and leave the beaches to nature.”