NDTV- The Death of India's Beaches

atala · Jun 7th, 2009, 18:00

In about a decade there will be no more sandy beaches in India if present port-constructions continue; reason: erosion, natural sand movement by waves is inhibited. Other consequences are insalination of aquifers, destruction of fishermen's livelihood, complete change of natural scenery. Already 50% of beaches are gone today...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmg08HOwfVQ

Spread the message while in India. As awareness of the desaster grows, government policies might change the course of events.

Nick-H · Jun 8th, 2009, 04:10

Hmmm...

Personally, I find a beach of rock or boulders much nicer to a sandy one --- but that doesn't mean that I'm for the destruction of a natural habitat, or the erosion of the coastline.

ronsaik · Jun 8th, 2009, 04:31

The international community should come down heavily on construction at ecologically sensitive marine locations, particularly those in north Karnataka, south Maharashtra and all along the Orissa coastline. In most cases, these 'minor' ports only serve the captive needs of a single steel / cement / power plant sited next to them. On their own, most of these ports woulnd't make economic sense. It's just that our state governments and port authorities don't have the necessary IQ to realise that they are not helping anyone by sanctioning random port construction.

Nick-H · Jun 8th, 2009, 04:41

I read, a while back, that not one single Indian industrial development has ever been turned down on ecological or environmental grounds, and that the surveys vary from cursory to ridiculous.

ronsaik · Jun 8th, 2009, 16:34

The track record isn't as bad as that.
Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd used to mine 5 million tonnes of iron ore a year (that's a lot), till the Supreme Court refused to extend its mining lease on ecological grounds. Of course, KIOCL is a govt owned company, so it has less of an incentive to pervert the system.

EDIT: I realise that you were referring to new projects.
An example of a (highly visible) new project getting turned down would be the once-proposed hydel plant at Silent Valley National Park.
There would be more, but perhaps they don't make it to the newspapers.

Paying Guest · Jun 10th, 2009, 10:54

I'm usually a bigger than normal environmental alarmist, and ready to believe the worst about any capitalist enterprise, but are you sure??? India has about 11,000 km. of shoreline, mostly beaches. However, I imagine those near the cities, already a mess, could face a problem...

However, with global warming and sea level rise, we'll soon have a whole new coastline, albeit somewhat shorter - and new beaches, too, after a while. Unfortunately, by that time Chennai will be a water park, and so will Kolkata.

ronsaik · Jun 10th, 2009, 13:19

The NDTV report was all over the place - minor ports come up in harbours, not beaches. And a lot of designated 'minor ports' are just fishing jetties. But that's not the point.
Yes, India has 7600 km of coastline - but so what? Can you have 42 minor ports and 12 major ports along it? It's not that easy. At present, there are two large 'minor' ports flanking either side of the Gahirmatha Marine sanctuary in Orissa, with the expanding major port of Paradip another 6-7 km away. New rail lines linking the iron ore mines of Karnataka to ill conceived ports on its Northern coastline are cutting through acres of forest.
The issue is not about the death of beaches alone, but about the coastline in general.
Due to land acquisition problems, the softest targets for minor port development are 'unoccupied' viz. forest land. That is my biggest concern.

Jun 7th, 2009, 18:00	#1
atala 8 years in India Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Switzerland Posts: 978	NDTV- The Death of India's Beaches In about a decade there will be no more sandy beaches in India if present port-constructions continue; reason: erosion, natural sand movement by waves is inhibited. Other consequences are insalination of aquifers, destruction of fishermen's livelihood, complete change of natural scenery. Already 50% of beaches are gone today... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmg08HOwfVQ Spread the message while in India. As awareness of the desaster grows, government policies might change the course of events.

Jun 8th, 2009, 04:31	#3
ronsaik Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Delhi Posts: 391	The international community should come down heavily on construction at ecologically sensitive marine locations, particularly those in north Karnataka, south Maharashtra and all along the Orissa coastline. In most cases, these 'minor' ports only serve the captive needs of a single steel / cement / power plant sited next to them. On their own, most of these ports woulnd't make economic sense. It's just that our state governments and port authorities don't have the necessary IQ to realise that they are not helping anyone by sanctioning random port construction. __________________ Ford, you're turning into a penguin. Stop it!

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Jun 8th, 2009, 04:10	#2
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 36,225	Hmmm... Personally, I find a beach of rock or boulders much nicer to a sandy one --- but that doesn't mean that I'm for the destruction of a natural habitat, or the erosion of the coastline.

Jun 8th, 2009, 04:41	#4
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 36,225	I read, a while back, that not one single Indian industrial development has ever been turned down on ecological or environmental grounds, and that the surveys vary from cursory to ridiculous.

Jun 8th, 2009, 16:34	#5
ronsaik Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Delhi Posts: 391	The track record isn't as bad as that. Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd used to mine 5 million tonnes of iron ore a year (that's a lot), till the Supreme Court refused to extend its mining lease on ecological grounds. Of course, KIOCL is a govt owned company, so it has less of an incentive to pervert the system. EDIT: I realise that you were referring to new projects. An example of a (highly visible) new project getting turned down would be the once-proposed hydel plant at Silent Valley National Park. There would be more, but perhaps they don't make it to the newspapers.

Jun 10th, 2009, 10:54	#6
Paying Guest Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: USA Posts: 50	I'm usually a bigger than normal environmental alarmist, and ready to believe the worst about any capitalist enterprise, but are you sure??? India has about 11,000 km. of shoreline, mostly beaches. However, I imagine those near the cities, already a mess, could face a problem... However, with global warming and sea level rise, we'll soon have a whole new coastline, albeit somewhat shorter - and new beaches, too, after a while. Unfortunately, by that time Chennai will be a water park, and so will Kolkata.

Jun 10th, 2009, 13:19	#7
ronsaik Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Delhi Posts: 391	The NDTV report was all over the place - minor ports come up in harbours, not beaches. And a lot of designated 'minor ports' are just fishing jetties. But that's not the point. Yes, India has 7600 km of coastline - but so what? Can you have 42 minor ports and 12 major ports along it? It's not that easy. At present, there are two large 'minor' ports flanking either side of the Gahirmatha Marine sanctuary in Orissa, with the expanding major port of Paradip another 6-7 km away. New rail lines linking the iron ore mines of Karnataka to ill conceived ports on its Northern coastline are cutting through acres of forest. The issue is not about the death of beaches alone, but about the coastline in general. Due to land acquisition problems, the softest targets for minor port development are 'unoccupied' viz. forest land. That is my biggest concern.