Sea water reduses

Ramanathapuram:Seawater suddenly receded for about 100 metres along the Rameswaram coast in the district on Friday, causing panic among farmers, residents and tourists.This was evident at the ‘agni theertham’ shore where pilgrims take holy bath at Rameswaram. The sea bed was exposed for about 100 metres, and remained so for most part of the day. It forced pilgrims to skip holy bath at ‘agni theertham.’ The same phenomenon was reported in other coastal areas of the district. Similarly, the sea was extremely rough forcing the fishermen to keep away from venturing into the sea. The velocity of the wind was around 30 to 35 kmph.Fishermen and local residents said it was unusual to see the exposed area at ‘agni theertham’ shore, as the sea was usually calm at this place. Even during the tsunami strike, there was no perceptible change at Rameswaram.

There was also a report that Rameswaram and nearby areas witnessed sandstorm. The storm closed most part of the road from Rameswaram to Dhanushkodi.The police and revenue officials allayed people’s fears, saying that nothing would happen to them.S. Velpandian, Assistant Director, Fisheries, said that tokens would not be issued to the fishermen on Saturday owing to the rough sea. Fishermen had been asked to not to venture into the sea.