Coastal Erosion

Since the construction of the Pondicherry harbour in 1989, Pondicherry and the neighboring Tamil Nadu coast have been eroding dramatically.

A report by the NCCR said around 57% of Puducherry’s coast was eroding. Puducherry is second only to West Bengal, which recorded erosion at 63.5%, followed by Kerala at 45% and Tamil Nadu at 41%. The report shows that a long-term cumulative analysis of the coast from 1990 to 2016 indicates that 57% of the coast has eroded, 35% is stable, and only 8% is accreting (growing). Artificial structures play a major role in promoting erosion along coasts. Coastal hamlets to the north of the harbour face consistent erosion, according to the report. Since the construction of the Pondicherry harbour in 1989, Pondicherry and the neighboring Tamil Nadu coast have been eroding dramatically. 

India has a coastline of about 7,500 kilometres, of which the mainland accounts for 5,400 kilometres, the Lakshadweep Islands account for 132 kilometres, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands account for 1,900 kilometers. The coastline is endowed with a wide range of ecosystems, such as mangroves, coral reefs, sea grasses, salt marshes, sand dunes, estuaries, lagoons, and natural habitats. The abundant coastal and offshore marine ecosystems include about 6,740 square kilometres of mangroves, including part of the Sundarbans, the Bhitarkanika, the Pichavaram, and the Coringa, which are among the largest mangroves in the world. These habitats and ecosystems store and cycle nutrients, filter pollutants, protect shorelines from erosion and storms, play a vital role in regulating hydrological functions and modulating climate as they are a major carbon sink and oxygen source, and, in addition, sustain the livelihoods of coastal communities. The coastal zone of the country is under increasing stress due to industrial development, trade and commerce, tourism, and resultant human population growth and migration. The Indian Coast has 77 cities, including some of the largest and most dense urban agglomerations, such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Kochi, and Visakhapatnam. With less than 0.25% of the world’s coastline, India houses 63 million people, or approximately 11% of the global population, in its low-elevation coastal areas. India’s coastal districts (73 out of a total of 593 districts) account for 17% of the national population, and nearly 250 million people live within 50 kilometres of the coastline. The constantly increasing anthropogenic pressures in coastal areas make coastal and marine ecosystems more vulnerable to global climatic changes, especially global warming and its consequences such as changes in rainfall patterns, storm frequency, salinity changes, and sea level rise.

Ongoing project