Gandhinagar: More than 25 lakh square metres of beaches in Gujarat have eroded, including parts of the Shivrajpur beach which was awarded the Blue Flag accreditation in 2020, stated the central government in the Rajya Sabha.

Dr Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, presented a set of data which indicates that erosion is affecting more than 537.5 kilometres of the sea coast in Gujarat, making it the region with the highest amount of affected area in the country. According to the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) data from Chennai, 27.6 per cent of Gujarat’s total coastal distance of 1,945.6 kilometres is experiencing erosion. Meanwhile, the erosion rate in Daman and Diu is 34.6 per cent of the coastline.

A report by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) shows that five beaches in Gujarat, including Shivrajpur Beach and Dabhari Beach, have been affected by erosion between 1990 and 2018. Additionally, erosion has occurred at Dandi Beach, Tithal Beach, and Suvali Beach.

The impact of coastal erosion is affecting coastal communities, including fishermen, as it leads to habitat and livelihood loss. The study suggests that shoreline changes are a combined effect of natural and human activities.

On the other hand, according to the ‘Gujarat State Action Plan on Climate Change’ of 2021, prepared by the climate change department, rising sea levels are a threat not only to beaches but also to ports in Gujarat. The report states that 45.67% of the Gujarat coastline is categorized as high to very high risk, with the northwestern parts of the Gulf of Khambhat, northern-most parts of the Gulf of Kutch, and western parts of Kutch coast being under the very high-risk category. The report names 19 ports, including Kandla, Mundra, and Pipavav ports, as being highly at risk due to rising sea levels. DeshGujarat