One-third of Karnataka’s coastal areas prone to erosion: Report

Increasing number of coastal areas, home to lakhs of people, in Karnataka are exposed to loss and damage with the latest study commissioned by the state government finding that the eroding stretches have more than doubled from 43.7 km to 91.6 km between 1990 and 2024.

In its report submitted to the Environment Department last week, the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, a research institute under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, said 28 per cent of the 328.55-km coastline in Karnataka was exposed to high erosion.

Titled ‘Shoreline Management Plan Along Karnataka Coast’, the report stressed the need to adopt nature-based solutions in view of the threats posed by climate change as well as increasing human activities.

Based on high resolution spatial analysis, the report said the number of coastal infrastructures have seen an exponential increase since 1990. The increased sediment barriers and upstream activities have led to an increase in the eroding stretches.

Uttara Kannada, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada together have 328.55 km coastline. Of the 193 km coastal line in Uttara Kannada, many stretches are hills and flatter elevated zones with shoreline indicating erosion percentage of 28 per cent.

In reality, the district accounts for 39 per cent of erosion in the state despite extensive rocky shores. The report noted that the stretches that once had nominal erosion were witnessing “significant” erosion due to “increased coastal developmental activities”.

In Udupi, though 43 per cent of the district’s coastline was protected by seawalls, 38 per cent of its coastal stretch “continues to erode” and accounts for 32 per cent of overall eroding stretches in Karnataka.

The report noted that the erosion will have a negative impact on coastal habitations, scrub lands, estuarine environments, mangroves, mudflats and fish landing areas.

In Dakshina Kannada, the coastal length was only 37 km, but the report said “erosion is critical” in the district which has the “highest percentage (39 per cent) of eroding stretches”, including the critical stretches of Uchil and Batapady.

Interventions

The report identified 44 critical eroding stretches in the three districts spread across various coastal zones, thereby having different land use, from fishing hamlets to tourism activities.

These stretches, it said, require interventions to prevent loss and damage. It recommended beach nourishment by replenishing sand to maintain beach width to slow down the erosion, rehabilitation of sand dunes and bioshields, from planting grasses to bind the sand to mangrove afforestation.

Nature based solutions

R Gokul, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Commissioner (Technical Cell) of Environment Department, said the report will inform the Karnataka-Strengthening Coastal Resilience and the Economy (K-SHORE) project.

“The report is very clear that nature-based solutions will have long-term positive results compared to the hard approach solutions like seawalls, which may stop the erosion at one place but will lead to high accretion elsewhere. Under K-Shore, various departments will join hands to implement nature-based solutions starting from mangrove planting to beach nourishment,” he said.

Mangrove, particularly, will also help fishermen as studies have shown mangroves enhance fisheries.

“Of the Rs 840 crore works envisioned under K-SHORE project, Rs 340 crore will be spent in tackling plastic pollution and most of the rest will be utilised for implementing nature-based solutions on the coast. This will boost the blue economy besides tackling erosion,” he said.

The report will also act as a reference point for Karnataka State Coastal Zone Management Authority, which looks at proposals for development works.