Third of India’s coastline vulnerable to erosion — here are the worst-hit states
MoS shares details in response to question by BJP MP and former minister Jual Oram
3 min read
“Technical support has been extended to the coastal states in the design of coastal protection measures at vulnerable stretches and preparation of shoreline management plans,” he said.
Over one-third of India’s coastline is vulnerable to erosion, Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey told Lok Sabha on Monday, citing a study by the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR).
Choubey also mentioned in his reply a state-wise study on beaches facing erosion, carried out by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM). According to this study, of the 116 beaches surveyed in Andhra Pradesh, 35 beaches are vulnerable to erosion and the rest are under accretion, while of the 50 beaches surveyed in Goa, 22 are facing erosion and 28 accretion, he said.
As many as 21 beaches out of the 31 surveyed in Maharashtra, 13 of 22 surveyed in Kerala, nine of 21 in Tamil Nadu and 13 out of 18 surveyed in Karnataka face erosion, according to the study.
The Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change was replying to a written question on coastal erosion by BJP MP and former minister Jual Oram.
“It is observed that 33.6 per cent of the Indian coastline is vulnerable to erosion, 26.9 per cent is under accretion (growing) and 39.6 per cent is in a stable state,” Choubey said.
The study by NCCR – an attached office of the Ministry of Earth Sciences – revealed that the shoreline changes were a combined effect of natural and human activities, and that the receding coastline would adversely affect the livelihoods of fishing communities, the minister said.
Choubey said the ministry had brought the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification, 2019 with a view to conserve and protect coastal stretches and marine areas, and to ensure livelihood security to fisherfolk and other local communities.
“The notification also provides for No Development Zones (NDZ) along various categories of coastal areas to protect India’s coastline from encroachment and erosion,” the Union minister said.
He also said chief secretaries of all the coastal states and Union Territories have been requested to finalise the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP), which also includes mapping of erosion prone areas and preparation of a shoreline management plan for identified eroding stretches.
“Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change has delineated the hazard line for the entire coast of the country…Coastal erosion mitigation measures have been taken up at Puducherry and Chellanam in Kerala, which helped in restoration and protection of coastal areas lost at Puducherry and flooding at Chellanam fishing village,” Choubey said.
“Technical support has been extended to the coastal states in the design of coastal protection measures at vulnerable stretches and preparation of shoreline management plans,” he said.
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