A comprehensive 40-year study has revealed a distressing trend of rapid coastal erosion along Gujarat’s once stable shores. From the Gulf of Khambhat to the Gulf of Kutch and from the Saurashtra coast to the South Gujarat coast, the state’s coastline is vanishing at an alarming rate. The study, conducted by researchers at the Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BISAG-N), highlights significant erosion in 10 out of the 16 coastal districts, affecting nearly 45.8% of Gujarat’s coastline and impacting around 549 villages, home to over a million people.
Erosion Rates and Affected Areas
The study found that districts like Ahmedabad, Surat, and Bharuch are witnessing erosion encroaching within 30 meters of the coast. A striking example is the Khambhat coastline near the Mahi estuarine area, which reported a dramatic increase in shoreline change from 113.9 meters to 831.4 meters over 40 years, with an annual change rate of 39.76 meters.
Gujarat’s coastline, the longest in the country at 1,617 kilometers, touches 13 coastal districts and 35 talukas. The study reveals that 703.6 kilometers of this coastline are eroding. Kutch district experiences the highest erosion, followed by Jamnagar, Bharuch, and Valsad. In South Gujarat, approximately 83.06% of the coast is eroding, 10.15% remains stable, and 6.78% is gaining land. The erosion stretches from Dandi in Surat district to Umargam in Valsad district.
Researchers Krunal Patel, Rajmal Jain, Manik Kalubarme, and Tusharkumar Bhatt of BISAG-N linked rising sea surface temperatures (SST) along Gujarat’s coast as a key factor in accelerating erosion. Data from 1860 to 2020 indicated a gradual SST increase across the Gulf of Kutch, Gulf of Khambhat, and Saurashtra coast. The Gulf of Khambhat experienced the highest rise of 1.5°C, followed by the Saurashtra coast (1.0°C) and the Gulf of Kutch (0.75°C).
Comparative Erosion Rates
The study categorized erosion based on coastline change rate: low for less than 300 meters, moderate for 100-500 meters, and high for more than 1 kilometer. Kutch and Jamnagar districts suffered the most, with over 130 meters and 64 meters of land lost, respectively. Notably, Jamnagar saw erosion rates almost 2.5 times higher during 1998-2020 compared to 1978-1998, while Surat experienced a 1.24 times increase and Valsad a 1.17 times increase.
Edited By Megha Chaubey (Climate Change Expert)