Sea levels could rise by up to 2.8 feet in India, says govt

Sea levels could rise by up to 2.8 feet in India, says govt

News:

Sea levels along the Indian coast are projected to rise 34 inches (2.8 feet) by the end of the century due to global warming

Important Facts:

Major finding of the studies:

• Rising sea level posing a potent threat to vast stretches of the western coastline, including Mumbai, as well as to major deltas in east India
• According the Study Mumbai and other west coast stretches such as Khambat and Kutch in Gujarat, parts of Konkan and south Kerala were “most vulnerable
• The deltas of the Ganga, Krishna, Godavari, Cauvery, and Mahanadi on the east coast may be threatened

Why is this happening?

• The major cause of the rising sea levels is nothing but the global warming, a phenomenon that has started to occur very rapidly with the fast development of the industrial age. And, the rise in sea level is occurred by two factors linked to global warming, i.e the melting of ice sheets as well as glaciers, and the expansion of sea water due to warming.

Consequences of high rise:

• Threats posed by sea-level rise have direct implications for India’s food security as hundreds of millions of people are dependent on river water
• Sea-level rise also projected a sharp increase in population at risk from flooding due to more frequent severe weather events.
• UNESCO report earlier this year warned that central and south India will face high levels of deterioration of water supply by 2050.
• Projected rise may result in coastal groundwater turning saline, endangering of wetlands and inundation of valuable land and coastal communities.

Measures being taken to protect coastal areas

• Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification, 2011 and Island Protection Zone (IPZ) notification, 2011 were being enforced and implemented by the Coastal Zone Management Authorities (CZMAs) of states and UTs.

About CZMA:

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has constituted the National Coastal Zone Management Authority
• The main purpose for constitution of the Authority is protection and improving the quality of the coastal environment and preventing, abating and controlling environmental pollution in the coastal areas.
• It reviews cases involving violations of the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986