Coastal cities need to plan for climate change

Coastal cities in India need to plan and implement climate risk management strategies as an integral part of city development, experts said Friday.

They were participating in a discussion on a report on climate change resilient city infrastructure.

The report, Climate Resilient Coastal Cities, based on a study done in Panaji, Goa, and Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, said coastal cities need to gear up to face risks posed by climate change, natural disasters and other extreme events.

The report, brought out by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in association with the US Agency for International Development (USAID), focuses on the impact of sea level rise and other climate parameters like rainfall and storms on the infrastructure of coastal cities, as an estimated 320 million people in India today live in coastal areas.

"India's coastal cities are particularly vulnerable on account of sea level rise as an impact of climate change, as well as the increase in frequency and intensity of climate related extreme events, which in recent years have caused substantial damage to life and property," R.K. Pachauri, director general, TERI, said in a video message.

The report makes recommendations and steps to be undertaken in the areas of ecologically-sensitive zones, solid waste management, heritage and tourism, water supply and sewerage and drainage, and how coastal areas can adopt structural and non-structural measures to deal with the risks posed by climate change.

India's coastal areas are spread over eight per cent of the geographical area in 84 districts falling within 13 states and Union Territories. These accommodate approximately 320 million people, which roughly accounts for about 26 percent of the country's population.