What are Sea Walls?
Sea walls refer to that part of construction which seeks to prevent the waves from hitting the coast or the shores in those parts where the ocean or the sea is too close to the land. Sea walls have been popular right from ancient times. In fact there is a very popular tale about a small boy who keeps his finger into a hole in a dike or a dam because the water level beyond the barrier of the dike overflowing and there being a possibility of the entire city being flooded because of the onslaught of the water.
This popular anecdote might be fictional but the purpose of a sea wall is definitely not fictional. In those areas where seas tend to play havoc on the life of the people living nearby, sea walls are the best solution to be employed to solve the problem of the people residing nearby.
Importance of Sea Walls
Sea walls are built in such a way that they tend to block the intensity of the wave crashing into the coastline or the shores so that there is no major damage caused to the human life-forms residing nearby. Also, another important feature of these sea walls is that they do not obstruct human activities that need to be done in such coastal areas.
Since the top part of the sea walls is flat, one can easily carry out fishing in the seas by positioning oneself over the top flat surface of the sea wall. Thus, a dual purpose is achieved as there is no blocking one’s necessary activities as most of these areas are very important fishing areas and hence become very important in terms of productive human activities. And since fishing as an activity is equally important as sea walls, it becomes easier to combine the two and achieve greater productivity.
Another important aspect to be noted about sea walls is that they are built in many different ways and therefore can be adjusted to work in areas where the variation in the waves of the sea tends to be quite sudden. By working out a best possible construction module of the appropriate sea walls, extreme casualty and loss with respect to the onslaught of the crashing waves can be avoided and thwarted successfully.
There are sea walls which are curved so that the intensity of the waves from the seas gets contained by the curvy nature of the artificial barrier and the level of loss is also contained. Also, in areas where the seas tend to merge with the shore, the sea walls are constructed in such a way that there are many blockages before the actual sea wall begins – i.e. facing the sea, there are smaller blockages and then there is the sea wall – to prevent the waves from crashing into the shore where people might be present and thus averting any possibility of a disaster.
One more major point of consideration when it comes to sea walls is that they require constant mending and repairing because of the nature of the area where they provide their utility. Since salt is a major component that is found in the seas, it is but natural that the salt present in the sea-water will tend to erode and dissolve the raw-materials used to construct the sea walls. This being the case, it becomes important for the rightful authority to keep a constant eye over the sea walls lest they come down all of a sudden and end up causing a casualty not because of a natural calamity but because of negligence.
Materials Used
The materials that are used to construct sea walls include concrete and metal rods. Also, stones and small boulders are also used in some areas in order to keep the surface of the coastline before the sea wall actually begins – facing the sea – coarse, so that the intensity of the wave starts to decelerate because of such blockages. Hence, keeping in mind the materials used for the purpose of construction of sea walls, it becomes important and relevant to note any signs of wear and tear which may cause to hamper the utility of the sea wall.
Conclusion
Sea walls are extremely utilitarian and since in these times, the threat of tsunami has increased substantially, it becomes important to build such preventive structures in order to lessen the menace of such natural calamities and to assure the people of their safety through a very visible, physically demonstrative and effective barrier.
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Thanks for pointing out that being aware of the wear and tear in the seawall is important to ensure that it will be in good condition. I will share this information with a friend of mine since they plan to have one installed in front of their property. They bought this property at a low price since they really wanted to have a vacation house near the sea. Its low price might be due to the seawall that needs to be repaired.
It’s good to know that sea walls are built to block the intensity of crashing waves. My sister has been telling me about how she wants to make sure that her home is safe in the coming weeks. I’ll share this information with her os that she can look into her options for barrier walls that can help her with this.
Sure Patrick ??