In what appears to be a cause of concern, the coastline of south Gujarat is gradually changing shape, threatening several coastal villages. One of the reasons why the sea is eroding the coast could be a rise in the sea level due to Global Warming.

In fact, the fishing village of Dandi in Valsad district and Kaladra village located on the estuary of Narmada River in Bharuch district have already started bearing the brunt of this disturbing phenomenon. Several families have already vacated these villages due to the advancing seawater every year.

The fact that the sea has been eroding the south Gujarat coast at an alarming pace was brought out through an exhibition of satellite images put up at the venue of an annual conference of the Indian National Cartographic Association (INCA) held at Gandhinagar last Tuesday. ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair, Chief Minister Narendra Modi and many others keenly observed the satellite images at the exhibition and expressed concern over the coastline changing shape.

“Our preliminary observations reveal that seawater has shifted by 10-15 metres in the last one decade, and at places it has moved around 80 metres horizontally,” said Dr Nikhil Desai, a Geology professor at M S University, Vadodara.

Dr Desai is part of a survey of the Gujarat coastline being carried out by the Space Applications Centre, ISRO. The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest has appointed ISRO as the nodal agency to conduct the survey.

Dr Desai told Newsline on Saturday: “The rise in sea level due to Global Warming could be just one of the reasons for the erosion along the south Gujarat coast. But local factors such as neo-tectonic activities —shifts in the seabed level — could also cause the sea level to rise. If there are disturbances in sediment budgeting along the coast (the amount of deposits from rivers), it could also affect the water level.”

He added: “We are still conducting the survey and collecting all relevant data on this disturbing phenomenon. It will still take a couple of months for our survey team to complete the study and ascertain which of these reasons is driving the changes along the coast.”

He added that rapid industrialisation and other human-induced activities along the Gujarat coastline could also be a contributing factor.

Sources in the Sachivalaya said that the government is concerned about the reports of south Gujarat coastline changing shape. “The government has constructed sea protection walls near some of the most vulnerable coastal villages, including Danti, Udwada and Kaladra. If required, more such walls will be erected to protect human habitat along the coastline,” they said.