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60% of coastline in West Bengal affected by erosion: Govt in Lok Sabha

Due to climate change, West Bengal with 323.07 km coastline, has lost 60.5 per cent by erosion, Jitendra Singh said in Lok Sabha.

By Ground report 10 Apr 2022

New Update

Due to climate change, sea-level rise is increasing in coastal areas of India, An area of 2,318 km of the east and west, West Bengal with 323.07 km coastline, has lost 60.5 per cent by erosion, Jitendra Singh said in Lok Sabha.

In response to a question from Aparajita Sarangi, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Jitendra Singh said that 33.6 per cent of the total area of 6,907 km of the east coast and west is affected by sea erosion.

The western coast of the country includes the states of Gujarat, Daman and Diu, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala and the eastern coast includes the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal. Jitendra Singh has said in his reply that a maximum erosion of 60.5 per cent is taking place in West Bengal. Here, out of the total coastal area of 534.34 km, an area of 323.07 km is affected by erosion.

Puducherry ranks second where 56.2 per cent of the coastal zone is in this condition. Kerala and Tamil Nadu have 46.4 (275.33 km) and 42.7 per cent (422.94 km) of the area under erosion, respectively. According to the data, Goa is the best place where 19.2 per cent (26.82 km) of area is affected by erosion.

According to the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the average sea level is projected to rise between 0.28 and 0.55 m by 2100, compared to 1995-2010, if the greenhouse gas emissions are very low. Sea level rise is expected to be 0.44 to 0.76 m for moderate emissions and 0.98 to 1.88 m for extreme emissions.

Due to erosion in coastal areas, much of the country and the world is being absorbed by the sea, causing large-scale displacement. In his response, the minister stated that 34 per cent of the coastline has different degrees of erosion. In 26 per cent there is a growing trend and in the remaining 40 per cent erosion is stable.

The Minister in response to him reported that currently, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is preparing a policy to prepare adequate parameters for mitigation measures and to deal with the massive displacement of people.

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