Kerala’s coastal areas to witness increasing sea surge in coming years: Experts.
Marine specialists on Saturday warned that coastal areas in Kerala will witness an increasing development of sea surge in the coming years as a consequence of rise in sea floor temperature.
They have been talking at a webinar organised by the Kochi-based Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) as a part of observing World Environment Day as we speak.
Voicing concern over the calamities confronted by the coastal group as a consequence of excessive waves and sea erosion, the webinar sought restoration of coastal vegetation laying emphasis on mangrove forestation, which, based on the specialists, act as bio-shield to the coastal belt in defending the lives of residents in the area.
The webinar identified that your entire Kerala coast lately witnessed ‘storm surge’ in the course of the two cyclonesTauktae and Yaas, a CMFRI launch mentioned right here.
Experts are of the view that such storm surges are prone to happen in the coast more and more in coming years with the speedy warming of the waters in the Indian Ocean, based on the discharge.
Cyclonic winds assist kind storm surge in the waters which ends in excessive waves, sea erosion and flooding in the coastal hamlet. This was evidently seen lately, particularly in coastal areas like Chellanam, they mentioned.
Kerala’s coastal area could possibly be shielded from the wrath of the sea to an incredible extent via restoration of mangroves and different biodiversity in the area, CMFRI Director Dr A Gopalakrishnan mentioned.
“Conservation of coastal biodiversity, which is in deterioration owing to many reasons including constructions, is the best long-term natural option for protecting the lives of coastal people from sea turbulence,” he mentioned, including that mangroves act as a mannequin bio-shield to the coastal stretch.
“A recent study revealed that mangroves protect coastal wave actions and severe surges based on observations done in Mumbai coastal region. There are lots of ideal areas along the coastal stretch in Kerala which can be conserved for mangrove forestation,” Gopalakrishnan mentioned.
The webinar, which was attended by main specialists from the nation who work on mangroves, really helpful that restoration of coastal vegetation alongside the Kerala coast ought to be deliberate in a social forestry idea with public participation.
Feasibility research are required for figuring out potential areas for mangrove forestation, it proposed.
The webinar additionally steered consciousness programmes amongst totally different stakeholders to construct a bio-green belt alongside the coast aimed toward defending the residents in the realm.
Participants included Dr N Vasudevan, Managing Director of Forest Development Corporation, Maharashtra, PP Pramod, Chief Conservator, Forest Eastern Circle and Custodian, Vested Forest, Kerala, Dr R Ramasubramanian, Director of Coastal Systems Research Programme at MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai and Dr Grinson George, Senior Programme Specialist on the SAARC.
