 Coastal
areas
India's coastline is about 7500 km long and is densely populated as well as low-lying.
Tropical cyclones and storm surges are one of most critical factors affecting loss of
human lives in India and Bangladesh. There is concern that global warming may affect
tropical cyclone characteristics, including intensity, because sea-surface temperature
(SST) plays an important role in determining whether tropical disturbances will form and
intensify.
Most of India's coastal regions
are fertile and under paddy cultivation, which is sensitive to inundation and
salinization. Coastal infrastructure, tourist activities and onshore oil exploration are
also at risk. Variations in climatic patterns are expected to result in an increase in the
frequency and intensity of extreme events such as cyclones. These will greatly affect the
population in coastal areas and may cause devastation in low-income rural areas as
exemplified by the cyclone that hit Orissa in 1999, killing about 10 000 people. A
one-metre rise in sea level is expected to inundate about 1700 km2 of
agricultural land in Orissa and West Bengal (IPCC, 1992).
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In the absence of
protection, Asthana (1994) showed that a one metre rise in sea
level will affect an area of 5763 km2 and put 7.1 million people at risk. 83%
of all damages will be because of land loss, but the extent of vulnerability will also
depend upon physical exposure and the level of economic activity in the region. TERI
developed a district-level ranking of vulnerability to one-metre sea level rise by
constructing a weighted index. The estimated economic costs of this rise range from Rs
2287 billion in the case of Mumbai to Rs 3.6 billion in the case of Balasore (Orissa).
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| Disclaimer
The outcome of these studies reflects the author's viewpoint and not that of the
Government of India. |
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Vulnerability
to one-metre sea level rise
Source: TERI 1996
References
 Asthana.
1994
Impacts of greenhouse-induced sea level rise on the islands and coasts of India
New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University
IPCC. 1992
Global climate change and the rising challenge of the sea
Geneva: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. [Supporting document for the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, World Meteorological Organisation, and the
United Nations Environment Programme, Geneva]
TERI. 1996
The economic impact of a one-metre sea level rise on the Indian coastline: method
and case studies
New Delhi: Tata Energy Research Institute. [Report No 93/GW/52, submitted to the Ford
Foundation] |
Click on the map for
likely impacts in
different parts of India
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