BHUBANESWAR : Odisha has decided to prepare a ‘Coastal Sand Dune Management Plan’ to protect the unique biodiversity of dunes along its 574-km shoreline and curb coastal erosion.
The decision was taken at a recent meeting of the Odisha Coastal Zone Management Authority (OCZMA). The OCZMA has outlined that the sand dune management plan will be prepared through an expert agency approved by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
It will be framed under Clause 2.1.1(b) of the CRZ Notification, 2019, which mandates formulation of management strategies for all ecologically-sensitive areas identified in the coastal zone management plan.
An official from the state Forest, Environment and Climate Change department said protecting sand dunes apart from other regulatory measures would help in reducing the vulnerability of the coasts from erosion, as the formations absorb wave energy and act as a natural barrier against erosion.
“They function as a natural sea wall, protecting inland areas from flooding and storm surges, while providing habitat and shelter for specialised plants, birds and insects,” he said.
Sand dunes in the state are largely found along the southern Odisha coastline, the Konark-Puri-Satapada belt and parts of the Ganjam coast. Portions of the northern coastline in Balasore also feature sand dunes combined with casuarina groves.
Forest officials said the Centre has recognised sand dunes as one of the key geomorphological features under the coastal regulation zone (CRZ) notification, designating them as CRZ-IA - Ecological Sensitive Areas (ESAs) for the fact that the they serve as natural physical barriers for coastal protection and provide important habitats for coastal flora and fauna.
The move comes amid growing erosion along the state’s coast in the recent years. A shoreline assessment conducted by the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) covering 564.14 km of coastline across six coastal districts in the state for the period between 1990 and 2022, has found that around 28.3 per cent of Odisha’s shores is affected by erosion.
The assessment, findings of which have been tabled by Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways minister Sarbananda Sonowal in the Rajya Sabha this year, reveals that Jagatsinghpur has recorded the highest proportion of erosion at 47.6 per cent, followed by Ganjam 45.7 per cent and Kendrapara 45 per cent.
Balasore recorded erosion along 23.8 per cent of its analysed coastline while Puri and Bhadrak reported 10.2 per cent and 4.6 per cent respectively.