Coastal sensitivity assessment for Thiruvananthapuram, west coast of India

Abstract

The densely populated coastline of Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala, along the southwest coast of India, is sensitive to sea surge and severe coastal erosion. The December 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami had inundated several parts of this coastal zone, indicating nature of sensitivity. The present study is an attempt to develop a coastal sensitivity index (CSI) for Thiruvananthapuram coast within the framework of coastal sediment cells. Seven variables, namely (a) coastal slope, (b) geomorphology, (c) shoreline change, (d) mean sea-level rise, (e) nearshore slope, (f) significant wave height and (g) mean tide range, were adopted in calculation of CSI (the square root of the product of the ranked variables divided by the number of variables). Remote sensing data, topographic maps supported by field work and data from numerical models are used in geographic information system environment to generate CS index for each kilometer segment of this 76-km coastline. This study reveals that 72 % of the Thiruvananthapuram coastline falls in the high sensitive category. This exercise, first of its kind for Kerala coast will be useful for disaster mitigation and management.