Coastal crisis: It’s a race against time, and tide, for those living in Odisha’s coastal villages; here’s why
It is a race against time, and tide, for those living in Odisha’s coastal villages. Data with the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, Chennai, shows that 74 villages in the state are severely affected by shoreline erosion—the highest in the country.
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“Due to this, we are experiencing flooding triggered by tidal events and storm surges in last five to six years. Sometimes, seawater reaches our village,” says P Mohan Rao, another resident. Ramayapatnam has so far lost 47 houses to the sea.
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Odisha deployed its first set of geo-synthetic tubes in Kendrapara district after the super cyclone in 1999 triggered erosion along the coast of Pentha village and initiated submergence of nearby Agarnasi island, an active nesting site for Olive Ridley sea turtles.
Sarat Tripathi, sarpanch of Pentha, tells DTE that the village shoreline has since remained protected from sea waves. “But beaches on the north and south of Pentha are eroding rapidly. An island is also being formed 3 km inside the sea which is visible during low tides,” he says.
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Hard-engineered structures like seawalls and dykes have often been criticised for their impact on the environment. Studies confirm that in several cases, when used as a stand-alone measure, seawalls have resulted in active or passive forms of coastal erosion.
In May 2022, the National Green Tribunal also directed all states and Union Territories not to raise or construct hard structures for erosion control. Yet in Arjyapalli Gram Panchayat in Ganjam, seawalls have been built along Gopalpur port.
Residents allege that the seawalls are responsible for the erosion of a 5-km coast along the village.
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Mangrove restoration and regeneration, if done in a scientific manner, can be a good climate change adaptation measure for coastal Odisha. But mangrove plantation should be generally discouraged as it may lead to disturbances in the local ecosystems and aggravate the impacts instead of mitigating them," says Sadhwi Sindura, programme coordinator at non-profit WWF-India, who works for marine conservation in Odisha.
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