Some Sri Lankan coastal belt was so severely eroded by the last year tsunami, resulting in some beaches measuring from one to three meters in height having been washed away, The Island reported Sunday.

In some place, erosion has lowered the beach surface below high tide level, allowing seawater to flow inland at high tide, the paper quoted a senior research fellow and geologist Wilbert Kehelpannala as saying.

"The lowering of the beach has shifted the shoreline towards the land by several tens of meters in many areas," he said.

He warned that there is possibility of seawater flooding in areas where coastal erosion is severe during high tides, spring tides and storm, and suggested moving that temporary houses and tents to safer locations from such places.

He said that a coastal buffer zone is essential but urged it should be demarcated by determining a viable distance form the shoreline, deeming the calculation of the distance be depended on the impact of tsunami and the severity of the coastal erosion instead of implementing the blanket 100-200 meter buffer zone in the affected coastal belt.

"The findings of our study should be take into consideration by the authorities in planning future resettlement, reconstruction and development programs along the coastal belt areas of the country."

Source: Xinhua