coastline Archives - Disasters News

Jul162024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Alarming Erosion Threatens Gujarat’s Coastline Impacting Over a Million People

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 Khambh...

Aral Sea Catastrophe: ESCAP’s Multifaceted Approach to Environmental Recovery

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

In a region marked by stark environmental degradation and socio-economic upheaval, the Aral Sea, once the world's fourth-largest inland sea, stands as a tragic emblem of human-induced catastrophe. Over the past decades, the sea has dramatically shrunk by a staggering 90%, primarily due to extensive water diversion for irrigation and hydropower, exacerbated by the effects of climate change. The consequences are dire, with severe environmental and socio-economic repercussions plaguing the surrounding countries. The Grim Reality: Environmental and Socio-economic Fallout The depletion of the Aral Sea has triggered a cascade of crises, including the loss of water, increased salinity, and the collapse of local ecosystems. These changes have wrought havoc on livelihoods, plunging communitie...

Undersea Earthquake slackened up Coast of Tonga with 5.6 mag without damage

Breaking News, Disasters

On January 9, 2024, at 10:41 AM (Tongatapu Time), an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 struck under the South Pacific Ocean, approximately 175 kilometers off the coast of Tonga. The earthquake occurred at a very shallow depth of 10 kilometers, making it potentially impactful, as shallow earthquakes tend to have a larger effect. Key Details: Location: 242 km ENE of Nuku‘alofa, Tongatapu, Tonga. Coordinates: 20°2'15"S 173°11'29"W. Depth: 10 km (6 mi), classified as a very shallow depth. Magnitude: 5.3, detected by 49 stations. Maximum Error Range: ±0.085. Low tsunami risk, as earthquakes under magnitude 6.5 usually do not cause tsunamis. The earthquake may have been felt in Tonga, with Nuku‘alofa being the nearest significant population center, located 242 kilometers...