Odisha Case Study - Coasts

Location of Odisha

South east coast of India - densely populated - six major deltas - 1435km² of mangrove forest

Odisha - economic and environmental opportunities

Large stocks of fish for farming and food - offshore wind, tidal and wave power for energy security - clay and limestone resources for building infrastructure - offshore oil and natural gas for energy security - tourism for employment

Odisha assessment of shoreline change

Largely accreting (46.8%) with 36.8% eroding and 14.4% stable - most erosion is in the south

Mitigation strategies used in Odisha

Providing relief supplies ahead of an approaching storm - broadcasting warnings - staged evacuations away from the most vulnerable areas → small death toll since implementing the strategies

Management of the Odisha coastline

Highly localised management strategies are likely to cause more harm than good - ICZM project between the Ministry of Forest and Environment, the Indian government, the World Bank and the government of Odisha

Major issues identified with the ICZM in Odisha

Coastal erosion - assessing vulnerability to disaster - livelihood security

Management of the Mahanadi Delta in Odisha

Considerable loss of mangroves in recent years due to the development of fishers and other economic demands - villages with over 4km of mangroves reported no deaths after super cyclone Kalina - NGO’s such as Wetlands International are trying to reverse the damage alongside the Indian Government