India all set to map its coastal hazard line
08 Apr 2011
India will extensively map its 6,100-km coastline, extending from Gujarat in the west to West Bengal in the east, to demarcate its costal hazard line and enhance preparedness for natural calamities like tsunami.
The mapping, involving a total area of 60,000 km, will be done using stereo digital aerial photography (SDAP) and is estimated to cost around Rs27 crore.
The World Bank-assisted initiative is a critical part of the planned management of the country's coastal zone, an official release said today.
Under the project, the hazard line for the mainland coast of India will be mapped, delineated and demarcated on the ground over a period of five years. The project will include collection and presentation of data, identifying flood lines over the last 40 years, which includes sea level rise impacts, and a prediction of erosions that may take place over the next 100 years.
The ministry of environment and forests had, on 12 May 2010, signed an agreement with the Survey of India to map, delineate and demarcate the hazard line along India's long coastal belt.
The hazard line is a composite line of the shoreline changes, including sea level rise due to climate change, tides and waves. The total cost of this survey is projected at Rs125 crore.
