Coastal States Of India Research Articles

A Comprehensive Study of Biparjoy Cyclone Disaster Management in Gujarat: A Case Study

Gujarat, a coastal state in India, has a long history of cyclone occurrences and has developed comprehensive disaster management strategies over the years. The study aims to analyze the effectiveness of these strategies by examining the response to the Biparjoy Cyclone, which occurred in June, 2023. The paper explores various aspects of cyclone disaster management in Gujarat, including early warning systems, evacuation planning, coordination mechanisms, relief and recovery efforts, infrastructure resilience, and community participation. By comparing the response to the Biparjoy Cyclone with previous cyclone events in Gujarat, valuable insights and lessons are derived to enhance future disaster management strategies. Preliminary findings indicate both successes and challenges in Gujarat's cyclone disaster management. The state's early warning systems effectively alerted communities and facilitated timely evacuations, resulting in reduced casualties. However, certain areas, such as coordination among different agencies and post-disaster recovery, require further improvement. The research paper concludes by synthesizing the lessons learned from the Biparjoy Cyclone and making recommendations for enhancing cyclone disaster management in Gujarat. The findings add to the current volume of expertise on disaster management and equip policymakers, practitioners, and researchers working in the sector with practical insights. Finally, the study hopes to contribute to the creation of more robust and effective cyclone disaster management systems in Gujarat and other cyclone-prone regions of India.

Between forests and coasts: Fishworkers on the move in India

AbstractThe Covid‐19 lockdown in India in March 2020 revealed the presence of Adivasi communities in the marine fishing industry of Goa, a coastal state in India. While the migration for work of Adivasi communities from the central regions of the country is well recorded, their movement across geographies of the forest and the coast is relatively unknown. Working with initial data collected during the lockdown, interviews conducted after the pandemic and using secondary materials, the paper sought to understand the social and material conditions in the forest and the coastal regions that shape this movement. Centring the waged relation of Adivasi workers opened the door to thinking about the marine fishing sector in India as a capitalist industry, while paying attention to social reproduction highlighted how the coastal and forest regions are spatially linked through their movement and labour. This highlights that the coasts and forests are going through distinct processes of capitalist intensification and expansion. Making connections between ecological appropriation, historical processes of resource extraction and marginalization, the paper finds that the extraction of fish resources in Goa is made productive through the hierarchization and differentiation of Adivasi workers. It reveals how the social relations of identity and caste mediate access to and define conditions of work at sea.

Investigatory analysis of the natural hazards on the Indian coastline

Predictive analysis, comparative analysis, and image processing can provide vital insights into understanding natural phenomena. Water bodies surround India on three sides, so natural disasters (cyclones, floods, and other related hazards) and rising water levels due to meteorological fluctuations are common occurrences. The coastal states of India, due to their diverse nature, are constantly exposed to various risks. The study focuses on the changes and disasters in the Indian Ocean surrounding the Indian shorelines. A systematic approach has been employed to examine the fluctuations in meteorological factors of nine Indian coastal states for the period of 2001–2021. The fluctuations were computed for four meteorological seasons Summer (March–May), Monsoon (June–September), Post-monsoon (October–November), and Winter (December–February). These fluctuations are studied, and trends are put forward to examine their effects on natural disasters. The results of the study focus on the correlations between the factors and disasters and their respective predictions.

RURAL OCCUPATIONAL MIGRATION: A COASTAL INDIA STUDY

The current study was conducted in 3 districts of West Bengal, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh states for rural occupational migration post COVID in 2022. Approximately 58% of our country’s demographic dividend is associated with agriculture as their primary source of income. However, due to changing global trends caused by urbanisation, the rural population is more likely to shift their focus to other sources of income. For the first time in Post-independence India, there was an absolute decline in agricultural employment (23.7 million) between 2004‒2005 and 2009‒2010, with 22.5 million being unpaid family workers. So, the current study was undertaken to analyze the extent and pattern of migration in the rural households in three coastal states of India using ex post facto research design with a multi stage random sampling technique. This paper has deduced the pattern observed among the migrated respondents of Purba Medinipur, Bhogarai and Sompeta districts of the 3 states in terms of gender, income, time period, social participation and type of occupation undertaken. This may not have an immediate impact, but it may have long-term consequences in the form of consumable goods for future generations. Certainly, government should come up with new policies formulations made by focusing such pattern in order to stop the people from migration and engage them in agricultural and allied activities with help of extension personals through effective training and awareness programs.

Evaluation of Changes in Temperature Extremes in Vamsadhara River Basin, Odisha, India

With an emphasis on extreme events, several climate change indices that were derived from daily temperature data were computed and studied. Odisha is a coastal state of India which is severely prone to extreme events. With climate change, extreme events are also increasing in the world especially in coastal regions. Vamsadhara river basin which is situated at Odisha is selected for the study. The objective of this study was to compute and analyze the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI) extreme indices using CLIMPACT software. 14 temperature indices were used to analyze the signals of climate change in the study area. The IMD data for the period 1961-2022 has been used for the study. The trend detection of indices was done through Mann-Kendall test and magnitude of trend was calculated using Sen’s Slope estimator. The result showed that warm days (TX90), Diurnal temperature range (DTR) and Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) are increasing with 1%, 10% and 1% level of significance respectively. This indicates that indices associated with warming are increasing in river basin. The cold night (TX10) indices found to be decreasing with 10% level of significance and TNx showed a negative trend at 10% level of significance.

Case study: Ground Improvement technique with Geosynthetics as reinforcement on soft ground for buildings in coastal Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh is a well-known coastal state in India, Some of the regions, the ground is soft clay in nature shows the soil has low bearing capacity and high compressibility characteristics, so ground improvement techniques may be a viable solution for the construction of any structure. Geosynthetics are the most often utilized reinforcing material in design of foundation in such soils. The significant design parameters are Modulus of subgrade reaction (K), California bearing ratio (CBR) and Modulus of elasticity (E). In Machilipatnam area, the soil is weak and having high compressibility characteristics. Hence ground improvement technique by using Geosynthetics (geotextile as separator, geogrid as reinforcement, GSB as a filling material) is adopted for two major project buildings. Field tests such as Modulus of subgrade reaction test, Plate load test were conducted over the improved ground to ascertain the quality of improvement. Furthermore, a correlation between K and CBR, E and CBR is established. The corresponding California bearing ratio values are correlated using IRC58-1988. A comparison was made over the untreated ground using correlation of E and CBR from others to know the behaviour of unreinforced and reinforced soils.

A study on socio-economic profile of Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone, 1931) farmers of southern Andhra districts, India

In recent years Aquaculture production has grown enormously, Litopenaeus vannamei (white leg shrimp) species have been introduced to many coastal states of India. Andhra Pradesh is the second-largest producer, where approximately 70% of Litopenaeus vannamei consumed globally is farmed. The present study determined the Socio-economic profile of the shrimp farmers of the state was studied using an interview schedule. For this study, data was collected from three southern coastal Andhra districts. It was revealed that most of 51.12% of farmers are middle age, young age is 24.44% and old age is 24.44%, while in unorganized respondents, most of the farmers were 52.22% middle age, old age 38.89% and very poor are young age farmers 8.89%. It is observed that 28.89% in organized respondents have a primary school education, 24.44% were high school education, 23.33% can read and write, 15.56% were graduates and 7.78% were intermediate education level, while in unorganized respondents 22.22% can read and write, 21.11% primary school, 20% illiterates, 17.78% high school education, graduates are 13.33% and intermediate education was 5.56%. and it is clear that in organized respondents 65.56% were nuclear and 34.44% were joint family type, while unorganized respondents nuclear and joint were 77.785 and 22.22% respectively. It was concluded that the forward communities and SC/ST category, both in organized and unorganized farmers shows less interest in vannamei culture when compared with backward communities. Small-scale farmers were unorganized and most of the farmers did not have access to technological innovations and scientific applications.

A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW ON JOINT FOREST MANAGEMENT (JFM) RESOLUTION, 2011 AND ITS AMENDMENT, 2015 IN ODISHA, INDIA

This paper reviews rules and regulations implemented by introducing a state policy of Joint Forest Management (JFM) in the forest fringe villages of Odisha, a coastal state of India. It critiques the guidelines and amendments associated with JFM in Odisha that seem not to be examined previously. Several questions are revealed right here relating to the formation of an institution like Vana Surakhya Samiti (VSS) or Eco Development Committee (EDC), the role of villagers, community members, and the Forest Department in building these institutions at the local level, the meetings, resolutions needed, people of the village associated, MOU required between a Divisional Forest Office and these institutions following the resolution of JFM, 2011 and amendments of 2015, and so on. This comparison of the resolution and amendments concludes; that the participation of villagers increases with the initiatives of the JFM in the protection of their own area. JFM has a larger role function in building trust among the forest department officials and villagers of the nearby forest. The necessary modifications in the JFM amendment, of 2015 have made the financial processes transparent, the inter-village and intra-village conflicts are reduced to different projects implemented following this JFM policy. The forest fringe village individuals and their participation in managing the forest resources is a mandatory need. JFM has catered to these needs with different resolutions and amendments. It has not only helped the Government to manage the forest resources in a sustainable way but also enhanced the livelihood of the people making their future better.

Revision of Ganoderma species associated with stem rot of coconut palm

ABSTRACT Stem rot by Ganoderma is a disease of major concern for coconut farmers. Many species (G. applanatum, G. boninense, G. lucidum, G. zonatum) have been implicated as the causal agents of the disease. Despite its importance, systematics of the rot-associated Ganoderma remains uncertain and unresolved. Morphologically heterogeneous basidiomata of the putative pathogen(s) from infected palms in multiple disease sites were collected during an outbreak in the coastal state of India, Kerala. Morphological and molecular investigations revealed that these specimens were distinct from all the Ganoderma species so far identified and reported from coconut. Although with a close morphological resemblance to many Ganoderma species collected from palms, they exhibited unique genetics and geographic distribution patterns. We present a taxonomic reassessment of the species collected from infected coconut palms in India and also propose two new species, Ganoderma keralense and G. pseudoapplanatum. A taxonomic key to Ganoderma species on palms is given.

An Integrated Approach for Delineating and Characterizing Groundwater Depletion Hotspots in a Coastal State of India

Abstract Visualization of present state of aquifers and identification of groundwater depletion hotspots are important tools in preparing an effective groundwater management plan. Therefore, this study developed an integrated framework by bridging a number of relevant factors to characterize and visualize groundwater depletion hotspots in Andhra Pradesh, India. Firstly, the groundwater status was assessed by detecting spatio-temporal trends in groundwater levels of 429 dug well sites from 2004 to 2018 using Mann-Kendall (MK)/modified Mann-Kendal (mMK), Spearman’s Rho test, and the magnitude of the slope was determined by Sen’s slope estimator. Subsequently, multiple decision factors were considered in the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method for producing the groundwater stress zone map. A multicollinearity test was performed prior to the incorporation of these factors in order to improve the decision-making power of the AHP method. The results of the groundwater stress zoning map showed that 19.99%, 16.93%, 24.63%, 18.86% and 19.59 % of areas were classified as low, moderate, high and very high stress zones, respectively. Results also identified the south-western parts as groundwater depletion hotspots. Furthermore, validation results using Sen’s slope map, evaluation metrics of ROC (receiver operating characteristics) and AUC (area under curve) showed that AHP method had exhibited a reliable performance with an accuracy of 76.7%. Thus, the applied integrated approach can be used to explicitly characterize groundwater status by integrating different factors. The findings of our study also would be helpful for water resources managers and planners who need to design proper and sustainable management of groundwater resources.

A review of unboiled arecanut drying process and its correlation with mechanical properties

It has been revealed through literature review that, numerous challenges are still to be addressed in developing scientific grading methods for agricultural produce like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds etc. due to their physical nature and mechanical behavior. Their classification is primarily based on visual attributes and human expertise. The present methods of the manual grading of arecanuts are tedious, labour intensive and the grading equipments are mainly based on size, shape color and texture. Further, they do not take into account the physical and mechanical properties that have a strong correlation with the moisture content of the nuts, that largely impacts their inherent characteristics. The potential medicinal and industrial applications of arecanuts call for scientific and automated quality grading systems. India being the largest producer of Arecanut in the world, accounting for more than 50% of the world’s output has several sorting centers in need of accurate and reliable quality grading solutions. In this paper an attempt is made to study and review the existing drying processes which largely determine the quality characteristics of unboiled type arecanuts widely grown in coastal states of India as well as other parts of Asia. Research publications pertaining to the investigation of the physical and mechanical properties with respect to the moisture content in the context of dehusking, cutting operations and evaluation of kernel properties for sorting and other post processing operations are also reviewed. This work articulates the use of statistical techniques in quality characterization with minimal error, emphasizing on the future scope of research in optimization of grading and drying parameters for processed arecanuts of unboiled category. Further these studies could help in the development of quality grading and drying systems.

Three-tier cage aquaculture of Asian Seabass (Lates calcarifer) fish in the coastal brackishwaters - A techno-economic appraisal

Coastal brackishwater resources are highly fertile, rich in biodiversity and provide livelihood to traditional fisher families. However, due to natural disturbances and manmade interruptions, its fishery resources are depleted, hence, the livelihoods of dependent fishers are threatened. Aquaculture of fishes in customized cages and pens is a proficient approach for the efficient utilization of this productive natural resource. In this context, a three-tier cage farming system of Asian Seabass fish (Lates calcarifer) comprised of a nursery, pre-grow out and grow-out phases was developed and validated for its techno-economic viability with the participation of fisher folk. The technical indicators viz., fish survival, feed conversion, growth rate, productivity, economic parameters viz., Benefit Cost Ratio, Pay-back period and Internal Rate of Return and the livelihood security pointers have substantially shown that the system is technically feasible, economically viable, socially acceptable and hence, sustainable. Planned interventions in the form of appropriate policy guidelines to undertake community involved cage aquaculture in the coastal brackishwaters, a scheme for periodical flushing of bar mouths to ensure connectivity with the sea, institutional credit and insurance support are outlined to up-scale the adoption of cage farming technology in the brackishwaters across the coastal states of India. It is a win-win approach for the efficient utilization of coastal brackishwaters for augmenting fish production and enhancing the livelihood security of coastal fishers.

Biodiversity of hermit crabs in Odisha, east coast and their distribution in other coastal states of India

Hermit crabs are one among the least studied group of the animal kingdom. The diversity of hermit crabs of entire Odisha coast was studied for the first time. Collected primary data and secondary data were compiled to prepare an updated checklist of hermit crabs of Indian coast. A total of seven species of hermit crabs were recorded during the field surveys along Odisha coast. The compilation of secondary data with present primary data revealed occurrence of 114 species of hermit crabs belonging to 27 genera and six families along the Indian coast. Diogenidae was identified as the dominant family. The diversity of hermit crabs is high in the west coast (73 species) as compared to the east coast (65 species). Maximum species diversity is recorded in Tamil Nadu (53 species), Kerala (50 species) and in Andaman & Nicobar Islands (46 species). Twenty threes species of hermit crabs inhabit the coastal ecosystems of Odisha. The present study also reports the occurrence of Clibanarius infraspinatus for the first time from Odisha thus, extending its distributional range along the Indian coast. Among the reported 114 species, only 61 species are included in GBIF with Indian distribution whereas occurrence data is not available for 11 species and 42 species are not likely distributed along Indian coast. The findings of the present study support the occurrence of 61 species (included in Global Biodiversity Information Facility) along the Indian coast and suggest that the occurrence and distribution of remaining 53 species can be confirmed after conducting extensive field surveys.

High-Frequency Mixed Rossby-Gravity Waves in the Mid-Troposphere Triggered Kerala Floods of 2018

Kerala, the South-West coastal state of India, was ravaged by a series of floods during the South-West Monsoon of 2018. The season was marked by severely anomalous rainfall trends, with over 100 mm of departures from the mean daily precipitation in the northern districts of the State. Unlike previous works, this study not only documents the extreme event, but also identifies the tropical dynamics responsible for it. The synoptic disturbances of the tropical Pacific triggered high-frequency Mixed Rossby-Gravity (MRG) waves in the mid-troposphere during Boreal Summer, which meddled with the Monsoon trough, as it propagated westward from the east Equatorial Indian Ocean to the east coast of Africa. Interestingly, these equatorially-trapped waves were found to have teamed up with Madden–Julian Oscillations (MJO) to fuel deep convection in the tropics and caused heavy rainfall over Kerala in 2018.

Examining the determinants of freight transport emissions using a fleet segmentation approach

Concerns over transport energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions have lately prompted significant attention towards vehicle ownership patterns and the distributional implications of climate mitigation policies. This paper contributes to freight transport literature by examining how establishments can be meaningfully grouped using their fleet ownership pattern (size and composition) and how these segments vary in their freight travel pattern and CO2 emission levels. The analysis performed using an establishment-based freight survey dataset from Kerala, a coastal state in India, revealed five latent classes of fleet ownership. The determinants of freight transport emissions and the gross emitters in fleet segments are presented subsequently by analyzing how the establishment-level characteristics (employment, business age, industry sector, value density, and relative location) explain the variation in CO2 emissions. The study findings offer insights for designing effective carbon policy instruments and incentive schemes to regulate the establishment-level freight travel pattern and control transport emissions.

Melioidosis in Odisha: A Clinico-Microbiological and Epidemiological Description of Culture-Confirmed Cases over a 2-Year Period

AbstractMelioidosis is an emerging infectious disease in India mostly reported from South-western coastal Karnataka and North-eastern Tamil Nadu. We speculate the existence of another major hidden focus in Odisha, one of the eastern coastal states. The clinico-epidemiological features of 47 culture-confirmed melioidosis at a tertiary care teaching hospital over a period of 2 years are reported. Septicaemia was the most common clinical presentation. Diabetes mellitus (DM) was present in 72.3% of our cases. The geo-climatic conditions of Odisha and other coastal states of India and the rise in the incidence of DM demand a nationwide surveillance of melioidosis and creation of melioidosis registry.

Economic analysis of mangrove and marine fishery linkages in India

Mangroves support and enhance fisheries by serving as a breeding ground and nursery habitat for marine life. The mangrove-fishery link has been well established in the ecological literature. This paper, however, employs an economic analysis to examine the role of mangroves in increasing marine fish output in India. Using secondary data on marine fish production and fishery resources, two distinct but related issues are analysed: i) the effectiveness of mangroves in increasing marine fish production, and ii) the marginal effect of mangroves on fish production or the contribution of a hectare of mangrove area to fish output in India. The results based on econometric analysis indicate that i) mangroves contribute significantly to the enhancement of fish production in the coastal states of India, and ii) the marginal effect of mangroves on total marine fish output is 1.86tonnes per hectare per year, which translates into a percentage contribution of mangroves to commercial marine fisheries output of 23 percent in India in 2011.

Dental caries status and treatment needs of children attending government primary schools in Goa: A descriptive survey of a coastal state in India

Introduction: Oral health is an integral part of overall health. Very little information is available on the status of dental caries status of children in Goa state. Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the dental caries status and treatment needs of government primary school children in Goa. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted among 6–12 years old government primary school children using the WHO survey methodology 1997. Multistage probability cluster sampling technique was adopted to obtain proportional sample from 11 talukas of Goa. Descriptive statistics was calculated, and t-test was used for group comparisons. Results: The overall caries prevalence in primary dentition was 65.52%, with mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth (dmft) of 5.21 ± 1.81 for North Goa, and 5.28 ± 1.93 for South Goa district. Caries prevalence in the permanent dentition was 56.6% with mean DMFT of 3.89 ± 1.14 for North Goa and 4.12 ± 1.74 for South Goa district. Males aged 9 and 11 years exhibited statistically significant higher caries prevalence in primary dentition than females, while females aged 6 years exhibited higher caries prevalence than male children in permanent dentition but both groups exhibited high proportion of treatment needs. Conclusions: Dental caries was high in Goan children. Dental caries was found to be a significant health issue in child population requiring immediate attention. The provision of oral health education and school-based preventive programs seem to be a viable alternative to tackle overwhelming the burden of dental caries and other oral diseases.

Is Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) farming in India is technically efficient? — A comprehensive study

Technical efficiency (TE) measures the ability of the farmer to obtain maximum outputs from a given combination of inputs. Stochastic frontier production function analysis (SFA) was employed to assess the technical efficiencies of Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus (Litopenaeus) vannamei) farming in India. The findings of this comprehensive study shown that the mean technical efficiency of P. vannamei farms in the country was 0.9013, indicating that the farms achieved 90% of the maximum possible output from a given set of inputs. Maximum likelihood estimates of production function indicated that shrimp stocking density, feed quantity and its management, access to technical consultancy, adoption of zero water exchange, cropping intensity and duration of the culture were the major determinants of TE. The ANOVA and student ‘t’ analyses have shown significant differences in the TE of P. vannamei farming across salinity of culture systems (p<0.05), geographical distribution of farms (p<0.01), sources of rearing water (p<0.05), nature of pond bottom (lined and earthen ponds) (p<0.01), stocking methods (p<0.01) and cropping intensity (p<0.01). It is suggested that the aquaculture extension agencies need to educate the farmers on selection of quality seed, adopting suitable stocking densities, optimization of inputs, energy use and better management practices to sustain the technical efficiencies. It is important to refine the farming practices of P. vannamei farming in tune with the scale and systems of operation being adopted. Ensuring disease free seed supply, cost effective feed and provision of electricity to aquaculture farms in the rates applicable to agriculture farms and promoting energy efficient automatic feed dispensers, aerators, generators, and popularising HDPE (high-density polyethylene) lining of ponds bottom would aid in sustaining the efficiencies of production systems and sustainability of P. vannamei farming in India. Statement of relevancePacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) has been farmed extensively in the coastal states of India. It is imperative to optimize usage of critical inputs and technology in P. vannamei shrimp farming to enhance the efficiency and profitability of production systems. Assessing the technical efficiency (TE) of the production systems points out the aspects to be paid attention by the farmers to optimize the inputs usage and enhance the profitability and sustainability of shrimp farming. Therefore, this study is timely and would aid in providing technical and policy inputs for the aquaculture researchers and planners for sustaining the shrimp farming in India.

Sewage Treatment and Management in Goa, India: A Case Study

Water pollution in India is primarily associated with unmanaged urbanization, population explosion, inadequate capacity of sewage treatment, and its disposal, which lead to unhygienic and insanitary conditions. This paper gives an overview on sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Goa—a coastal state in India. Being a famous tourist destination, it is important to monitor and control water pollution levels in Goa state, so as to safeguard the health of tourists and thereby the economy of the region. The capacity-wise distribution of STPs was mapped against regional population distribution and drainage system of Goa using ArcGIS. This information will be very useful for further analysis of the allocation of STPs and its adequacy with regard to the population. A majority of STPs at Goa are managed by private authorities like hotels and resorts. Four municipal plants under Goa Public Works Department were evaluated.