Coastal danger. Coastal parts of Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Vizag, Mangaluru risk inundation by 2050, says consultancy RMSI

A study conducted by Noida-based geospatial analytics firm RMSI says parts of Chennai, Kochi, Visakhapatnam, Mangaluru and Thiruvananthapuram, apart from Mumbai, risk inundation from rising sea levels by the year 2050.

RMSI did a deep dive into the findings of the IPCC and its various publications by coupling numerical models with the latest data to find out possible repercussions for India, says Pushpendra Johari, Senior Vice-President-Sustainability. It created a high-resolution digital terrain model at sub-metre accuracy for the coastline of these cities. and used coastal flood modeling capabilities to map inundation levels based on various sea-level rise forecasts studies.

CHENNAI: A majority of residential buildings in the low-lying areas of Mullima Nagar, Tondiarpet and Tiruvottiyur are at risk. A few buildings along the Chennai Port Trust, Kasimedu Beach, Gospel church, and Sai Vikash seafood restaurant may also be affected.

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Others include residential buildings along the coast in Ennore, Talanguppam, Tondiarpet, Tiruvottiyur, Port shipyard on NH-4; parts of Napier’s Bridge Road, Rajaji Salai, Foreshore Estate Link, Ennore High Road, 14th Cross Street, and Creek Bridge.

Projected inundation areas in Kochi | Photo Credit: (nil)

KOCHI: Mostly residential buildings, followed by commercial, are at risk here. Likely affected areas include the low-lying Valayar village, along Ettupurackal Road, Kelamangalam Road, Pallikal village, Valamangalam North, and some resorts such as the Kayalpura Island Resort and 36 Palm Beach Resort.

Other assets at risk are ferry and port-related facilities such as Cochin Port Trust Guest House, the Vypeen-Ernakulam Ferry Service, the Western Jetty, the High Court Boat Jetty, KINCO Jetty, Ferry Terminal, Nettoor Ferry, Chellanam Harbour, Fort Kochi, Tourist Jetty, Embarkation Jetty, and Cochin Fisheries Harbour.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Buildings at risk comprise approximately 60 per cent residential and 40 per cent commercial. Most residential buildings are situated in Valiathope, Lana Road, Vallakkadavu, and the Valiathura beach. Also at risk is the road stretch along Star road, Palayam-Aiirport-Valiyathura road, Lana Road, and Kovalam Beach road. .

Projected inundation areas in Visakhapatnam | Photo Credit: (nil)

VISAKHAPATNAM: A majority of the buildings are commercial, followed by residential, industrial, and port-related infrastructure. Affected areas would be Jalari Peta, MVP Colony, Appu Ghar and Lawsons Bay Colony. Multiple industrial and port buildings have also been identified in the Naval dockyard, Hindustan Shipyard Limited, the Matsya shelter dock, the slipway jetty, exporters procurement area, QC labs, and the Port Control Office.

Projected inundation areas in Mangaluru | Photo Credit: (nil)

MANGALURU: The 15 buildings at risk comprise some residential and commercial ones situated along the coast and Harbour area of Mangaluru. Also at risk are the Edapally-Panvel highway, Bolar ferry road, a few berths and the jetty at the Total Oil India and the booster pump house of the Port Trust.

State governments are lately waking up to the climate change challenge, Johari told BusinessLine, adding that Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh have already started separate engagements through multi-hazard risk assessment studies. RMSI is conducting this analysis and providing outcomes embedded into web-based solutions for easier dissemination of the findings and their utilisation for mitigation and developmental planning, Johari added.