Disaster Management

Please Review

Thank You

KEY POINTS

·         With a nearly 7,500-km coastline, India has a lot to worry.

Impacts on Indian coasts

·         Rising sea levels will likely reshape the coastlines and potentially inundate or even submerge many low-lying areas.

·         Stronger wave currents induce greater transport of coastal sediment and it eventually results in shoreline erosion and led to overall coastal vulnerability.

·         Winds are likely to intensify which will likely result in greater attack on our beaches, and coasts in the future.

·         Sea-level rise and storm surges would lead to –

a)     saltwater intrusion in the coastal areas contaminate drinking water, and possibly causing a rise in diarrhoea cases and cholera outbreaks, as the cholera bacterium survives longer in saline water.

b)     impacting agriculture and aquaculture through decline in soil and water quality and inundation

·         Loss of property and coastal habitats, damages to infrastructure

·         Loss of tourism, recreation and transportation functions

·         Degradation of coastal ecosystems, especially wetlands and coral reefs would result in loss of biodiversity, and also has serious implications for the well-being of the societies dependent on it for goods and services.

·         Climate change will further complicate the challenges by affecting the productivity and thereby livelihood of marine fishery dependent communities.

·         This can have far-reaching implications for the efforts to safeguard our coasts.

Way Ahead

·         India is in the process of preparing a comprehensive vulnerability map of its coastline, which will be used to finalise a coastal zone management plan.

·         Many more studies & using new and sophisticated climate models to be undertaken for a better assessment of the potential impacts.

·         Until then, coastal embankments will need to be built where necessary and Coastal Regulation Zone codes need to be enforced strictly.

Kindly review.