Gulfs of Khambat, Kutch show high vulnerability indices: Govt

The Gulfs of Khambat and Kutch in Gujarat show very high indices to multi-hazard coastal vulnerability, according to mapping carried out by the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), the government today said.

In a written reply in Rajya Sabha, Minister for Earth Sciences Harsh Vardhan said Hyderabad-based INCOIS and Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management (ICMAM), Chennai carried out mapping and demarcating of multi-hazard coastal vulnerability for states.

"The relative vulnerability of different coastal environment is essentially quantified at a regional to national scale using basic information on seven risk variables, viz. shoreline change rate, sea-level change rate, coastal slope, mean significant wave height, mean tidal range, coastal regional elevation and coastal geomorphology," Harsh Vardhan said.

"The general trend in the vulnerability, demarcated in to four classes (very high, high, medium and low), carried out first time on macro-synoptic scales (at 1:1,00,000) covering the entire Indian coastline suggest varied degrees of vulnerability along coastal states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Kerala, Maharastra, Goa, Gujarat and islands of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.

"The Gulfs of Khambat and Kutch in Gujarat show very high vulnerability indices, with the inlets of Kutch show localised vulnerability," he added.

The study noted that coastal vulnerability aspects at a much local (micro) level were accounted with additional parameters such as cyclone, storm surge and coastal flooding.

Relatively low vulnerability indices were reported along the zones of mangroves that help in breaking the large amplitude waves, dissipating the energy and hence act as a natural barrier.

"In Andhra Pradesh, the coast of Krishna, West Godavari, East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vizainagaram and Srikakulam district were classified as medium to high vulnerable class. In general southern parts of Andhra Pradesh are more vulnerable when compared to northern parts," the minister added.