New Delhi: Pointing out that 33.6% of the Indian coastline was under varying degrees of erosion, Union Minister of State for Earth Sciences, Dr Jitendra Singh, today informed the Rajya Sabha that the Government has formulated plans to rehabilitate people from low-lying coastal areas who may be adversely impacted due to rising sea levels in the coming decade.
Dr Singh said that the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), Chennai – an attached office of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) – had been monitoring the shoreline erosion since 1990 using remote sensing data and GIS mapping techniques. Totally, the 6907.18 km long coastline of the mainland had been analyzed for the period from 1990 to 2018 and . it is noted that 33.6% of the coastline was under varying degrees of erosion, 26.9% is of accreting nature and the remaining 39.5% was in a stable state.
In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Dr Singh said, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had prepared a draft policy on “Mitigation and Rehabilitation measures for people displaced by Coastal and River Erosion” to deal with the extensive displacement of people caused by coastal and river erosion.
The below table represents the state-wise coastal erosion details
The Minister said the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) – an autonomous organization of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) – has carried out Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI) mapping to assess the probable implications of sea-level rise along the Indian coast. He said this exercise had generated maps using seven input parameters: shoreline change rate, sea-level change rate, coastal elevation, coastal slope, coastal geomorphology, significant wave height and tidal range.
A report on “National Assessment of Shoreline Changes along Indian Coast” was shared with various Central and State government Agencies and Stakeholders for implementing shoreline protection measures. MoES through its institutes is also providing technical solutions and advice to the State Governments and UTs to deal with coastal erosion threats.
Dr Singh noted that the 15thFinance Commission has recommended the creation of the National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF) and State Disaster Risk Management Fund (SDRMF) comprising Mitigation Fund at the National and State level (NDMF/SDMF) and Response Fund at the National and State level (NDRF/ SDRF). The Commission also made specific recommendations for “Mitigation Measures to Prevent Erosion” under NDMF and “Resettlement of Displaced People Affected by Erosion” under NDRF.
– global bihari bureau
