Oceans and Coasts

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Featured Articles
April 24, 2023 The economic viability of solar desalination methods is the primary obstacle
The challenge is of ascertaining how renewable energy sources can be utilized to operate a desalination system (Image: Vmenkov, Wikimedia Commons)
April 11, 2023 Cultural adaptations to tropical cyclone warnings and impacts are crucial steps in limiting losses
A woman searching for her utensils in debris of her house which collapsed after Cyclone Aila (Image: Anil Gulati, Wikimedia Commons)
August 15, 2022 The impacts as perceived by the community
Catching fish from rivers, lakes and rivulets have good economic value in surroundings markets (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
July 29, 2022 New study from the University of East Anglia challenges the widely held view that restoring areas such as mangroves, saltmarsh and seagrass can remove large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere
Mediterranean seagrass (Image: David Luquet, CNRS-Sorbonne University)
June 22, 2021 Policy matters this fortnight
Yamuna flows under (Image source: IWP Flickr photos)
June 16, 2021 The World Ocean Day this year has come with a dire warning, of the threat posed to coral reefs, important for ocean health as well as the livelihoods of millions of people!
Coral reefs in the Andaman Islands (Image Source: Ritiks via Wikimedia Commons)
In harm’s way: Pulicat lagoon
Keeping Pulicat lagoon healthy is paramount to the health of the Chennai’s ecosystem. What is happening instead is its slow degradation. Posted on 06 Mar, 2017 03:34 PM

Along the east coast of India, five massive wetlands--starting from Point Calimere (Kodiakarai) and Pulicat in Tamil Nadu, the Krishna-Godavari basin in Andhra, Chilika in Odisha and Sundarbans in West Bengal--provide the necessary moisture for monsoon winds to precipitate.

Pulicat lagoon is the second largest brackish water body in the country after Odisha's Chilika lake. (Image: Seetha Gopalakrishnan, IWP)
Chennai coast chokes on oil
Lack of preparedness by government authorities in dealing with the massive oil spill on the Chennai coast has transformed it into one of the worst crises on the coast. Posted on 06 Feb, 2017 12:05 PM

Disaster struck two nautical miles off Ennore’s Kamarajar port just before dawn on January 28 when two cargo ships--LPG tanker BW Maple bearing the flag of the UK’s Isle of Man and MT Dawn Kanchipuram loaded to the brim with petroleum oil and lubricants--collided due to poor inter-vessel communicatio

Oil sludge being manually removed from the rocky coast. (Image courtesy: The Indian Express)
The sea mouths crisis
The opening of sea mouths in the Chilika is increasing the salinity of the lake, affecting the fish population and the livelihood of the fishing communities. Posted on 06 Jan, 2017 11:21 PM

Lingaraj Jena is a worried man. At 86, he is one of the older fishermen in Berhampura village, an island on the Chilika lake in Odisha. Though he no longer goes for fishing due to old age, he is worried about the opening of new sea mouths; he knows it is not good news for the fishing communities he is a part of that depend on the Chilika for their livelihood.

A view of the Chilika in the evening.
Soon a single tribunal for all inter-state river disputes
Policy matters this week Posted on 19 Dec, 2016 12:45 PM

Government decides to create a permanent tribunal for all inter-state river disputes

Cauvery river in Karnataka (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
Cyclone Vardah hits TN
News this week Posted on 13 Dec, 2016 07:11 AM

Cyclone Vardah makes landfall in TN, causes massive damage

Tropical cyclone of 2013. (Source: NASA WorldView)
Mumbai’s vanishing coasts
The implementation of the CRZ rules and prioritising the needs of fishing communities by involving them in the process is the right and holistic approach to end coastal deterioration. Posted on 21 Nov, 2016 10:22 AM

The coastal regions of India are becoming increasingly vulnerable to climate changes, developmental activities and urbanisation. Sustaining the livelihoods of fishing communities and preserving the health of coastal ecosystem and biodiversity are important challenges that India faces.

The deteriorating coasts of Mumbai. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Keeping beach body in shape
Changing coastlines lead to erosion and threaten livelihoods of people dependent on it for survival. Artificial embankments provide temporary relief, but add to the problem in the long run. Posted on 21 Oct, 2016 08:36 PM

Life without sandy beaches is hard to imagine for artisanal fishermen. Beaches serve as boat-landing sites, net-repair yards, as spots to sort and dry fish, all at once. Increased erosion and the resultant loss of beaches essentially means loss of traditional livelihoods, all across the country’s densely-populated coast.

Seawall lines Pondicherry's Promenade beach. (Image courtesy: Lalit Verma for India’s disappearing beaches - A wake up call)
Slum dwellers in Delhi to get individual water connections
News this week Posted on 06 Sep, 2016 09:19 AM

DJB to give individual water connections in slums

Access to drinking water, a basic human right. (Source: IWP flicker photos)
Honestly, not the best policy changes
Changes have been proposed to existing environmental laws. We look at three such policy changes that could affect the ecosystem and local communities negatively. Posted on 19 Aug, 2016 04:19 PM

Saileena Sarkar's introduction to the East Kolkata Wetlands began as soon as she moved to the city. She says, “The Kolkata wetlands have been a point of interest since I came to the city.

An earthmover submerged downstream of the Srinagar Hydroelectric project, Uttarakhand. By permitting contractors to begin construction on a project before the EIA is approved, the government is enabling disasters in the future.
Maharashtra wetlands: Govt withdraws plea against construction ban
Policy matters this week Posted on 17 Jul, 2016 03:13 PM

Maharashtra government withdraws plea against ban on construction on wetlands  

India's wetlands under threat (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
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