Referring to a question by BJP member G.V.L. Narasimha Rao in Rajya Sabha on erosion of coastline in Andhra Pradesh and its impact on the State’s coastal economy, Union Minister of State for Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh said on February 9 (Thursday) that as per the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), as much as 294.89 km, or 28.7%, of the coastline in Andhra Pradesh was under varying degrees of erosion.
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He said the districts that had seen the highest erosion were East Godavari (89.25 km), Krishna (57.55 km), Nellore (53.32 km), Visakhapatnam (25.81 km) and Srikakulam (25.12 km).
Factors
On the factors causing coastal erosion, Dr. Jitendra Singh said the natural factors such as tropical cyclones, monsoon floods, sea level rise, extreme events and anthropogenic factors such as ports / harbours, and damming of rivers were responsible.
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Asked about the impact, Dr. Jitendra Singh said coastline erosion would cause loss of land / habitat and livelihood of fishermen in terms of losing the space for parking boats, mending nets and fishing operations.
Giving specific details on the erosion of the coast in Visakhapatnam, Dr. Jitendra Singh said the city was experiencing erosion over three decades and the negative effects included loss of tourist beach and coastal roads of about 3.5 km.
Mr. Narasimha Rao urged the Central government to formulate an action plan to prevent coastal erosion and start the action plan from Visakhapatnam.
He also stated that he would organise public debate with the participation of eminent people to create awareness on the issue.