Odisha

Coastal Characteristics

Relatively straight coastline

Key Facts and Opportunities for human occupation and development

Threats

Supports a wide variety of plants and animals

Rates of erosion have increased in recent years. Down to natural forces such as rising sea levels and increase frequency of storms. It is also a consequence of increased human intervention

Coastal Erosion

Key findings from assessment of shoreline change

The Odisha coast is largely accreting - 46.8%

Managing the Odisha coast

Highly localised management has been found to do more harm then good

Mangroves

Very effective at protecting the coastlines

Bulk of population live by the coast

Coastal plains mostly consist of depositional landforms

6 major deltas and 1435 km2 of mangrove forest

3 major coastal environments. Chilika Lake, Mahanadi Delta, Bhitakanaki Mangroves

Huge potential for offshore wind, tidal and wave power

Lots of sediment and valuable material potential. 35% of the coast is laden with substantial sediment mineral and heavy metal deposits.

Majority of locals employed in fishing and aquaculture (the rearing of aquatic animals or cultivation of aquatic plants for food)

A wealth of cultural & archaeological sites along the coast, drawing visitors from around the world.

Tourism is a vital business, many come for the beaches and wildlife sanctuaries

Attempts to halt the natural coastal processes with sea walls and other hard engineering strategies have only had the effect of shifting the problems further down the coast.

Without sediment transport from erosion, some beaches, dunes, barrier beaches, salt marshes and estuaries will disappear

Opportunities for offshore oil and natural gas as well as seabed mining

The coastal plain provides relatively flat land for settlements. There are also several opportunities for tourism and economic activity. However, it is an area rich in wildlife that must be preserved

Rates of erosion have increased in recent decades, partly through natural processes, but also as a consequence of human intervention methods, used to protect infrastructures. As the majority of Odisha’s population live on the coastal plain, the Indian government is increasingly concerned with the increased vulnerability of coastal communities surges and tsunamis. They are also fearful of the long-term threats posed by climate change and rising sea levels.

The Odisha coastline is a naturally changing environment. Erosion provides important inputs of sediment that once transferred along the coast by waves, tides and currents is deposited to form beaches, dunes and barrier beaches which characterise the Odisha coastline.

Natural seasonal variation occurs along the coast, with accretion occurring in the summer due to relatively low energy waves. Erosion occurs more in the winter when high energy, destructive waves move and deposit sediment offshore.

Negative impacts of attempting to stop coastal erosion : Attempts to halt the natural coastal processes with hard engineering strategies only shifts the problem further down the coast. Additionally, without sediment transportation from erosion, many of the important geographical features of the coastline, such as beaches, dunes, barrier beaches, salt marshes and estuaries become threatened

Large scale erosion is also occurring - 35.8%

Most accretion is occurring in the north, most erosion in the south

Regions with the densest areas of mangrove forest, report the highest accretion rates.

It is a very dynamic system, only 14.4% of the coast is stable

Recent decades have seen significant loss of mangroves due to development of fisheries and other economic projects

50 years ago villages had an average of 5.1km (between land and sea) of mangroves protecting them. Today the average is just 1.2km

During cyclone Kalina in 1999, villages with over 4km of mangroves reported no loss of life but areas with less than 3km reported a great increase in death rates

An ICZM project was set up to promote sustainable use of coastal resources, whilst maintaining the natural environment. The aims of the ICZM project are:

To establish sustainable levels of economic and social activity

Resolve environmental, social and economic challenges and conflicts

Protect the coastal enviroments

Many cyclone shelters have been built to cope with increased frequency of storms

Planting/replanting mangroves has provided to be an effective soft engineering strategy

Local communities are taught how to grow mangroves and are given incentives to protect them