The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) recently conducted a comprehensive coastal vulnerability assessment for all Indian coastlines at the state level. The key objective of this assessment was to compile an Atlas that consists of 156 maps on a 1:1,00,000 scale. The Atlas is intended to help the creation of a Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI).
Coastal Vulnerability Defined
Coastal vulnerability is an understanding of how susceptible specific regions and populations are to the disruptions that can occur from coastal hazards. These hazards include erosions, coastal storms, and increasing sea levels, which can substantially threaten the physical, economic, and social systems of coastal environments.
The Coastal Vulnerability Index In Detail
The CVI, formed with the help of the maps made by INCOIS, aims to determine the potential coastal risks due to anticipated sea-level rise. This determination is based on the physical and geological parameters of the Indian coast. The CVI measures the relative risk of physical changes occurring from rising sea levels. It focuses on factors such as tidal range, wave height, coastal slope, coastal elevation, shoreline change rate, geomorphology, and the historical rate of relative sea-level change.
What is the Coastal Multi-Hazard Vulnerability Mapping?
As part of their work, the INCOIS also undertook a Coastal Multi-Hazard Vulnerability Mapping (MHVM). Using the parameters mentioned above, they established the composite hazard zones that could be prone to inundation in coastal low-lying areas due to extreme flooding events. This extensive MHVM mapping covered the entire mainland of India on a 1:25000 scale.
The Importance of the Coastal Vulnerability Index
The information collected through coastal vulnerability assessments can offer invaluable insights for coastal disaster management and for building resilient coastal communities. India’s coastline spans an impressive 7516.6 Km, comprising 6100 km of mainland coastline and the coastline of 1197 Indian islands that touch 13 States and Union Territories (UTs).
About INCOIS
An autonomous organization under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), INCOIS was established in 1999 in Hyderabad. It operates as a unit of the Earth System Science Organisation (ESSO) in New Delhi, which itself acts as the executive arm of the MoES for its policies and programmes. INCOIS is charged with providing the best possible ocean information and advisory services to government agencies, society, industry, and the scientific community. It achieves this through sustained ocean observations and regular improvement via systematic and focused research.
