Low Elevation Coastal zones and its Sustainable uses
The Project
Increased pressure for the resource utilization has made the coastal zones as the most rapid developing areas around the globe. Due to increased upstream activities most of the major rivers deprive the coast with insufficient sediment supply. Added to this, is the unscientific development of coastal infrastructures along the coast with various alignments that disturbs the sediment movement and littoral currents along the shore. Owing to this multi activities many of the coasts have undergone erosion and exposed the coastal zone to direct impacts of the regional wave and wind conditions. Apart from man-made anthropogenic impacts to the coast some of the coasts are by nature found to be low lying than the mean sea level where the anthropogenic activities of the coast has increased the risks of resources and lives in such coasts. The low lying areas shows a steady increase in their spatial extent over the years equally fractioned with hazard risks. Identification and study of such low lying areas using temporal satellite data is required to plan mitigation measures for resources and lives in those areas. The presentwork focuses to map and analysis such low lying areas in different aspects such as topography, vulnerability, landform changes and hazard risks.
Aim
- Topographic mapping and Vulnerability Assessment of the low lying coastal area.
- Micro level landform pattern studies and its trends in the CRZ areas.
- Assessment of multi hazard risk coastal zones in the low lying areas.
- Sustainable zones for sustainable land utilization of selected Low elevated coastal areas
- Climate Impact studies – To demarcate coastal low elevated zones prone for tidal intrusion and sea level rise along the east and west coasts.
- Development of Hybrid Digital Surface Model and Digital Elevation Model models for selected coastal Hotspots – (3D Application).
Key Findings
- Identification of waterlog areas in cyclone prone coast – A Case study on Nagappattinam coast for impacts of ‘Gaja’ cyclone
Flooding in the low lying areas is the significant phenomenon during certain natural calamities. The damages caused by water logging are as severe as the impact of the hazard itself. Low elevated coastal stretches and the uninhabited population were mostly affected by the impacts of prolonged waterlogging in their environment. The study on possible waterlogging areas during hazards such as cyclones, floods etc., would be more useful to handle such situations to safeguard lives and properties.
- Identification and classification of vulnerable zones of cyclone prone low lying coast – A case study on Vedaranyam Coast with impacts of ‘Vardha’ cyclone
- Classification of vulnerable zones of hazards and Identificationof coastal villages in different vulnerable zones – A case study on Brahmapur coast, Odisha with impacts of ‘Titli’ and ‘Phailin’ cyclones
Outcomes
- Spatial datasets on pilot coastal stretches under threat due to multidimensional natural calamities and their extent of influence in the low elevated zones.
- Planimetric maps of risk zones due to single or combination of hazards along the pilot coasts to ease and support coastal policy makers
Field Survey Sites
