40 Percent Of Indian Coast Subjected To Coastal Erosion: Govt

NEW DELHI: The government said a study has revealed that on an average around 40 percent of Indian coast is subjected to coastal erosion.

"The study has revealed that on an average around 40 per cent of the Indian coast is subjected to coastal erosion (either high, medium or low). According to the study, erosion occurred in 46.30 percent of coastal length in Gujarat," Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

He said the Ministry of Environment and Forest, through the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, Chennai, in association with Institute of Ocean Management, Anna university, Chennai, has conducted a study regarding 'assessment of shoreline change for the entire coast of mainland India, extending from Gujarat in the west coast to West Bengal in the east coast'.

He said the shoreline change was assessed for a period of 38 years from 1972 to 2010.

Accordingly, the coastline of India has been classified into high, medium and low erosion stretches as well as stable coastline stretch.

Replying to another question, he said on the basis of a national-level assessment of biodiversity richness using geospatial data on 1:50000 scale, a biological richness map for the country has been generated.

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