Lok Sabha Question No. 4167 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-27
Subject: Rise in Sea Level
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Kumbakudi Sudhakaran, K. Muraleedharan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4167

TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.03.2023

## Rise in Sea Level

## 4167.   SHRI KUMBAKUDISUDHAKARAN: SHRI K. MURALEEDHARAN:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  aware  of  thereport  released  by  World  Meteorological Organisationindicating a rise in sea level;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  stepstaken  to  mitigate  the  same,  if  not,  the reason therefor;
- (c) the  details  of  progress  made  in  theconservation  of  mangroves  and  corals  under theNational Coastal Mission Programme; and
- (d) the  budgetary  expenditure  on  the  Researchand  Development,  infrastructure  and warning systemsto mitigate the loss of lives and property, till now?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a) Government is aware of the matter. Many  national and international research organizations, and multilateral institutions continue to assess issues related to sea-level risein keeping withregularly updated data and increased scientific knowledge on the subject. One such reporttitled  'Global  Sea-Level  Rise  and  Implications' has  recently  been  published  by theWorld  Meteorological  Organization  in  February  2023.  Changes  in  sea  leveltake  place overtimespans  of  several  decades  to  centuries  and  the  determinationof  the  exact  rate  of change issubject to uncertainties.

(b)  Indian  National  Centre  for  Ocean  Information  Services  (INCOIS),  Ministry  of  Earth Sciences has prepared the Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI) maps for the entire coastline of India at a1:100000 scale by using parameters such as shoreline change rate, sea-level change rate,coastal  elevation,  coastal  slope,  coastal  geomorphology,  significant  wave  height  and tidalrange.  Other  studies  have  been  done  on  Multi  Hazard  Vulnerability  Mapping  to identifypotential  areas  of  coastal  inundation  for  the  mainland  of  India  at  a  1:25000  scale using  data  onextreme  water  levels,  coastal  erosion,  sea-level  change,  and  high-resolution topography.

Further,  this  Ministry  under  the  Integrated  Coastal  Zone  Management  Project  (ICZMP) hasdemarcated the hazard line along the entire coastal belt of the country, including the intertidalareas. The hazard line is indicative of the shoreline changes, including the sea level rise due  to  climate  change  and  is  a  projection  of  impact  due  to  sea  level  rise,  and  shoreline changes over along period of time viz. over 100 years. This line is to be used by the Coastal State  agencies  concerned  as  a  tool  for  Disaster  Management  for  the  coastal  environment, including planning of adaptive and mitigation measures.

(c)  The  Government  seeks  to  conserve  and  enhance  mangroves  and  corals  through promotional  andlegal  measures.  The  mangrove  cover  in  the  country  is  rising  and  has increased 71square km.between 2017 and 2021. The long-term health of corals is dependent on Greenhouse Gas emissions worldwide and their impacts on the world's seas and oceans.

The  promotional measures are being implemented  through a central sector  scheme namelyconservation  and  management  of  mangroves  and  corals  under  National  Coastal MissionProgramme.  Under  this  Programme,  projects  for  conservation  and  management  of mangroves  are  formulated  and  implemented  in  the  participating  coastal  States  and  Union Territories.Regulatory  measures  are  implemented  through  Coastal  Regulation  Zone  (CRZ) Notification(2011  &  2019)  under  the  Environment  (Protection)  Act,  1986;  the  Wildlife (Protection) Act,1972; the Indian Forest Act, 1927; the Biological Diversity Act, 2002; and rules under theseActs as amended from time to time.

(d)  Expenditure  on  R&D,  infrastructure  and  warning  systems  to  mitigate  the  loss  of  lives andproperty,  is  undertaken  across  several  Ministries  and  institutions  at  the  Centre  such  as Ministry of Earth Sciences, Indian Meteorological Department, National Disaster ManagementAuthority,  Indian  Space  Research  Organization,Department  of  Science  and Technology, thisMinistryas well as other Ministries connected with infrastructure. State /UT governmentdepartments and universities are also involved in such activities at varying scales.

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