Explain the causes and effects of coastal erosion in India. What are the available coastal management techniques for combating…

Coastal erosion in India is the net landward retreat of the shoreline where wave, tidal and storm energy removes sand faster than it is replaced. Causes are natural and anthropogenic. Wave dynamics, especially longshore drift, redistribute sediment; sea-level rise and cyclonic storms increase energy; tidal action and the geological composition of soft alluvial or sandy coasts make erosion easier. Dams and ports trap or divert sediment, sand mining removes beach material, mangrove and coral reef destruction removes natural buffers, and unregulated coastal development accelerates loss. In Odisha, Kerala and the Sundarbans, these processes are intensified by cyclones and soft coastlines.

Effects are severe. Habitats and habitable land shrink, groundwater salinity ingress affects agriculture, roads, ports and houses are damaged, fishing communities are displaced, biodiversity is lost, and heritage sites can be threatened. NCCR estimates about one-third of India’s coastline is eroding, making this a climate-hazard issue.

Management requires hard, soft and institutional measures. Hard structures such as seawalls, groynes and breakwaters protect specific assets but can shift erosion downstream. These techniques must be site-specific, because a seawall that protects one port may starve a neighbouring beach. Soft shoreline stabilisation—beach nourishment, mangrove restoration, dune rehabilitation and setback lines—works with natural processes. Institutionally, the CRZ Notification 2019 (which replaced that of 2011) regulates development; the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change finances resilience; NCSCM’s shoreline change assessments and NCCR’s Shoreline Change Atlas guide planning.