Coastal process studies play a vital role in identifying erosion hotspots and in understanding the prime causes of erosion along the coast of India.  Recent impacts from climate change have made coastal zones more vulnerable to increased intensity of wave action and sea level rise with consequent effects resulting in increased erosion.  Other negative impacts of erosion and sea level rise are salt water intrusion and likely submergence of deltaic areas and low-lying coastal land.

In recent years, continuous increase in human pressure and unusual development over the coastal regions has led to changes in shoreline and eventually causes to high erosion along the coast. The extent of erosion along the coast of India has also been determined by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) using long-term satellite data from 1975 to 2011. It is estimated that about 500 km of the coast is facing severe erosion, and about 464 km of the coast is covered with rubble mound or revetment type cement seawall.  Approximately 100 sq.km of the beach/ coastal land area have been lost in the past. Estimates indicate that the annual economic losses due to coastal erosion at ~450 ha per year can be valued at about Rs. 1000 crores of protection work and mitigation measures including their maintenance expenses are therefore exorbitant. The causative factors for shoreline changes need to be identified through a comprehensive coastal process study and by developing and implementing a robust Shoreline Management Plan.

It is proposed to develop living shoreline infrastructure at two suitable locations of highly eroding coast along the Indian coast. This involves a five-step scientific strategy, mentioned below.