40 per cent of Indian coast subjected to erosion

Indo-Asian News Service NDTV 19 Mar 13;

New Delhi: Around 40 per cent of the Indian coast is subjected to erosion and development in high eroding stretches is prohibited, Environment and Forests Minister Jayanthi Natarajan told the Rajya Sabha Tuesday.

Ms Natarajan said a study was carried out regarding "assessment of shoreline change for the entire coast of mainland India, extending from Gujarat in the west to West Bengal in the east".

The minister said the study revealed that on an average around 40 per cent of the Indian coast was found subjected to coastal erosion.

She said development activities along the coastal areas were regulated under the provisions of the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2011.

The notification prohibits development in high eroding stretches of the coast, except those projects classified as strategic and defence related.

The study was conducted by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, Chennai, in association with the Institute of Ocean Management, Anna University, Chennai.

"The shoreline change was assessed for a period of 38 years from 1972-2010. Accordingly, the coastline of India has been classified into high, medium and low erosion stretches as well as stable coast," she said.