WEEK 13: Coastal Hazards

India’s Coastal Infrastructure

 Indian coasts are under threat and vulnerable due to multiple stresses like sea-level rise, erosion, frequent extreme events, saltwater encroachment, and human intervention The newly developed Coastal Hazard Wheel (CHW) methodology explores the vulnerability scenario of any eco-system disruption associated with the gradual inundation; saltwater intrusion, erosion, and flooding of any coastal zone either at a local or regional scale. 

India is the third worst-affected country due to climate- induced natural disasters. The country’s coastal regions, in particular, are highly vulnerable because of rapid urbanization, high population densities and related economic activities such as agriculture, aquaculture, tourism, industries and trade. The 7,517-km-long coastline is home to 260 million people or one- third of India’s population, who live in low-lying areas within 50 km of the sea coast and are perennially exposed to climate variabilities and extreme weather events.

 

Potential impact of 1metre sea level rise on India’s coastal area and population 

Ensuring growth and development

India’s coastal regions are of immense economic and strategic significance, as approximately 90 percent of their trade by volume (or 70 percent in terms of value) is carried out by sea. The coastal infrastructure that supports lives and livelihoods, including houses, hospital buildings, transport networks, ports and shipping industries, are therefore vital to sustaining growth and development.

Indeed, current investments for tomorrow’s well-being could be wiped out by a disaster. As a result, sectors refrain from investing in potentially revenue-generating assets nor in long-term planning. The background risk of a disaster causes a rise in risk aversion, in turn preventing higher-return investments. Consequently, innovation is stifled, jobs are not created and development opportunities are lost. Large firms move to locations that offer safer operating environments; this adds to the economic difficulties of the coastal regions.

Reducing the burden of background risk by increasing the resilience of infrastructure would generate benefits that extend across sectors to the macroeconomic level. For instance, protecting coastal regions, towns, business districts, or ports with flood protection infrastructure, will foster economic activity, long-term planning and capital investments. In turn, a boost to entrepreneurship, innovation and productive investments would aid India’s overall growth and development. Aiming for resilient infrastructure in coastal regions will deliver co-benefits that are not related to extreme weather events. For instance, building new resilient infrastructure or retrofitting existing ones would create direct employment opportunities for the coastal communities.

 Flood protection infrastructure would create provision of reliable water supplies and hydroelectricity. A study of community-based adaptation measures has found, for example, that boats that had been purchased initially for evacuation purposes were then used as fishing vessels; evacuation shelters were used for community meetings or as schools; and raised water wells provided clean water throughout the year. The installation of dedicated irrigation systems to overcome the impact of droughts has also helped farmers to increase their productivity and output, while also reducing soil erosion and deforestation by optimizing previously inefficient farming practices. Other co-benefits may be more indirect: for one, improving the resilience of transport networks for commercial activity may also improve human mobility to access employment. Similarly, community participation in developing and managing climate-resilient infrastructure may also generate significant social benefits.

 The local government’s reliance on communities for knowledge, communications, vehicles, storage facilities and labor, can strengthen community cohesion, as well as local-state-society relations even during non-emergency situations. Measures to build resilience can therefore contribute significantly to social welfare and inclusiveness. In the area you have selected (India) coastal flood hazard is classified as high according to the information that is currently available. This means that potentially-damaging waves are expected to flood the coast at least once in the next 10 years. Based on this information, the impact of coastal flood must be considered in different phases of the project for any activities located near the coast. Project planning decisions, project design, and construction methods must take into account the level of coastal flood hazard. Further detailed information should be obtained to adequately account for the level of hazard. 

Recommendations

·          INTERACTING HAZARDS: Project planning, design, and construction practices should account for coastal flood and storm surge from cyclones and other weather events occurring in your project area. More information

·          EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLANS: Identify the regional and national government’s emergency response policy and protocols to coastal flooding in your project area and incorporate as necessary. More information

·          TECHNICAL EXPERTISE: Consult with an expert familiar with coastal flooding risk that has experience with natural hazards and/or construction practices in your local area. Such consulting professionals include structural engineers, civil engineers, and atmospheric scientists. Incorporate local and subject-matter expertise in the design, construction, and maintenance phases of your project. More information

·          INSURANCE: For coastal flooding risks that cannot be mitigated, consider insurance products specifically aimed at alleviating the financial costs associated with flooding. More information

CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE: If the project involves the development of critical infrastructure (e.g., a hospital, fire station, or power transmission line), or will support critical infrastructure, you should consider how your project can be affected by coastal flooding that occurs outside of the specific project location. More information

Sources / References

https://thinkhazard.org/en/report/115-india/CF

https://www.orfonline.org/research/making-indias-coastal-infrastructure-climate-resilient-challenges-and-opportunities-54330/

Source: OECD, 2018[xli]. For more comprehensive assessment refer to IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report 

  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352485521001869#:~:text=Indian

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

India's Tectonic Plate Boundaries

Image
  India’s Tectonic Plate Boundaries The India Plate is a minor tectonic plate straddling the equator in the Eastern Hemisphere. Originally a part of the ancient continent of Grondwana, the Indian Plate broke away from the other fragments of Gondwana 100 million years ago, and began moving north and carried Insular Día with It. It was once fused with the adjacent Australian Plate to form a single Indo-Austral ante and recent studies that India and Australia have been separate plates for at least 3 million years and likely longer. The Indian Plate includes most of modern South Asia (The India subcontinent and a portion of the basin under the Indian Ocean, including parts of South China and western Indonesia, and extending to but not including Ladakh, Kohistan and Balochistan.   The India plate borders the Eurasia plate on its northern and eastern boundary; Arabian plate on its, western boundary; Somalia, Capricorn, and Australia plates to the south.  ...
Read more
Image
  "Volcanos"   WEEK 5            India's  has 7 Volcanos but only two are active    Stratovolcano  and  Mud Volcanoes   The first recorded eruption of the volcano dates back to 1787. Since then, the volcano has erupted more than ten times, with the most recent one being in 2022. [11]  After the first recorded eruption in 1787, further eruptions were recorded in 1789, 1795, 1803–04, and 1852. After nearly one and a half  century  of dormancy, the  island  had another eruption in 1991 that lasted six  months  and caused considerable damage. [12] [13] The 1991 eruption was particularly harmful to the island's fauna. A team from the  Geological Survey of India  visited Barren Island on 8–9 April 1993 to assess the impact of the eruption on the distribution, habit, and abundance of animal species. The report found that the eruption had reduced the number of bird species and...
Read more
Image
WEEK 16 FINAL BLOG 1. Main natural hazards - Why they happen and why you are addressing those as a priority. Floods Floods  are the most common natural disaster in India. The heavy southwest monsoon rains cause the Brahmaputra and other rivers to distend their banks, often flooding surrounding areas. Which natural disaster is most frequent during the past 20 years in India? According to the 2019 Global Climate Risk Index report,  floods  account for 52% of the total calamities affecting India, claiming 63% of the material damage and 32% of the human losses reported as natural disasters. On an annual average, 7.500. 000 hectares are flooded, and 1.600 lives are lost. ( Jan 21, 2021) India experienced extreme weather events on 85 out of 92 days. The events were spread across 33 states/UTs.  Lightning and storms were reported on 79 days, heatwaves on 28 days, followed by heavy rains, floods and landslides on 16 days . ( Nov 28, 2023) Flood Prone Areas in India ...
Read more