It is the result of climate change that rain and floods have created havoc in most parts of the country. Rivers are in spate from Kolkata to Uttarakhand. There is extreme heat in summers and bone-chilling cold in winters. If the climate change continues in this manner, the day is not far when some places will cease to exist.
A new study has claimed that due to climate change, the sea level is constantly rising. And if the sea level continues to rise at this rate, by 2040, more than 10 percent of the land in Mumbai and up to 10 percent of the land in Panaji and Chennai will be submerged in water.
A study by Bengaluru-based think tank Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) has said that due to rising sea levels, five per cent of land in Kochi, Mangaluru, Visakhapatnam, Udupi and Puri could be submerged.
The report is titled ‘Sea level rise scenarios and submergence maps for selected Indian coastal cities’. The report studies sea level changes under future climate change in 15 Indian coastal cities and towns – Chennai, Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Mangaluru, Visakhapatnam, Kozhikode and Haldia, Kanyakumari, Panaji, Puri, Udupi, Paradip, Tuticorin and Yanam.
The study revealed that from 1987 to 2021, Mumbai witnessed the maximum rise in sea level which is 4.440 cm. This was followed by Haldia with 2.726 cm, Visakhapatnam with 2.381 cm, Kochi with 2.213 cm, Paradip with 0.717 cm and Chennai with 0.679 cm. The report states that sea level will continue to rise in all 15 cities and towns till the end of the century. The highest water level rise is projected for Mumbai.
CSTEP said more than 10 per cent of land in Mumbai, Yanam and Tuticorin, 5-10 per cent of land in Panaji and Chennai, and 1-5 per cent of land in Kochi, Mangaluru, Visakhapatnam, Haldia, Udupi, Paradip and Puri are likely to be submerged by 2040 due to rising sea levels.
According to the report, the key sectors affected by sea level rise include water, agriculture, forests and biodiversity and health. Beaches, backwaters and mangrove forests are particularly at risk, affecting biodiversity and tourism. Haldia, Udupi, Panaji and Yanam have important agricultural areas, wetlands and water bodies that may be submerged due to rising sea levels.
Tags: Chennai news, Goa, mumbai news
FIRST PUBLISHED : August 3, 2024, 23:39 IST
