CHENNAI : A Centre of Excellence (CoE) to study climate change impact on coastal infrastructure and the adaptation strategies was inaugurated at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras(IIT-M) campus on Monday. The facility has been established by the Union Department of Science and Technology (DST), under the Indo-German Centre for Sustainability (IGCS). Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT-M, inaugurated the CoE in the presence of DST officials and other stakeholders, an institute release said.
The centre will play a major role in helping communities in India’s 7,500 km-long coastal line to prepare for the impact of climate change such as rise in sea levels and increased frequency of tropical cyclones.
The CoE will carry out research studies on predicting climate change impact on coastal communities and strategically important coastal infrastructure such as ports, power plants and major industries.
Studies will also be undertaken to evaluate the intensity and frequency of tropical cyclones and extreme rainfall events under futuristic warming scenarios and the corresponding effect on coastal infrastructure. The overall vulnerability of coastal infrastructure and communities will also be studied to bring out the risk involved and for designing appropriate adaptation measures.
Further, climate change and sea level rise impact on availability of water resources and its quality due to enhanced saltwater intrusion and ineffective waste management will be investigated.
Speaking on the project, Akhilesh Gupta, Head (Strategic Programmes Large Initiatives and Coordinated Action Enabler- (SPLICE) Division), DST, said This is probably the only one of its kind of centre in South Asia on climate change impact on coastal infrastructure. “We need greater collaboration among institutes in Tamil Nadu and their functional linkages with society and policy makers to tackle this huge issue.”Bhaskar Ramamurthi said, “The climate change impact on coastal infrastructure requires a multi-disciplinary approach. IIT-Madras is happy to host such a very important program of the Government of India.”