Explain the causes and effects of coastal erosion in India. What are the available coastal management techniques for combating the hazard? (Answer in 250 words)

Coastal erosion is the landward retreat of the shoreline when sediment loss exceeds sediment supply. India’s long coastline faces both natural variability and human-induced disruption.

Causes

• Sea-level rise, storm surges, cyclones, waves, tides and changing monsoon currents reshape beaches and deltas.
• Dams and embankments reduce downstream sediment, while ports, groynes, seawalls, sand mining and coastal construction interrupt littoral drift.
• Mangrove loss, groundwater extraction, subsidence and unplanned tourism reduce natural protection.

Effects

• Loss of homes, farmland, roads, ports and cultural sites; salinity intrusion affects groundwater and agriculture.
• Beaches, mangroves, turtle nesting sites, fisheries and livelihoods decline, increasing displacement and disaster vulnerability.

Techniques

• Soft approaches—dune and mangrove restoration, beach nourishment, sediment bypassing, setback zones and living shorelines—retain ecological buffers.
• Hard structures such as seawalls, groynes, breakwaters and offshore reefs may protect critical assets but can shift erosion elsewhere.
• Integrated Coastal Zone Management should use hazard mapping, community participation, early warning, regulated construction and managed retreat where necessary.

Littoral drift; sediment budget; sea-level rise; mangroves; beach nourishment; seawall; ICZM; managed retreat.