Coastal Zones

Biography

Biography: DR.SAINUDEEN SAHIB.S

Abstract

Kerala is a coastal state with an extensive coast line of 590 km long with Arabian sea in the west and stretching from Thiruvananthapuram distrct in the south to Kasargod district in the north. The state has a population of 3.33 crores as per the census of 2011 and most people live in the coastal area of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam ,Alapuzha ,Ernakulam,Thrissur, Malappuram ,Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod districts of Kerala. Considering the havoc caused by Tsunami which hit Indian coast line on 26th December 2004 , in many places around the Tsunami disaster ravaged coastlines, the water and sewage system were wrecked by the quake-driven waves, and groundwater supplies were contaminated by sea water. Fisheries are one of the most important sectors of Kerala’s economy providing livelihood to the fishermen population living in the 222 marine villages. Tsunami of 2004 affected fisheries sector adversely especially on motorized and non-mechanized segments and prices of different species of fishes slashed down . The rehabilitation related issues will have to be given concerted effort in the light of various localized problems. Many industries are situated in the coastal stretches and about 300 medium and large scale and about 2000 small scale industries are discharging effluent directly into marine or freshwater bodies. Infrastructure development including port and harbours, sand mining for industrial and construction purposes, recreational activities etc have contributed to coastal erosion. Major impact of tsunami and coastal issues are highlighted in this paper on the basis of the situation before and after the tsunami in the affected areas