Pattamundai, Aug 13: Odisha’s coastline is facing increasing pressure from coastal erosion, threatening homes, livelihoods and communities living along the sea. Villages, roads, temples and generations-old memories are gradually being lost to the advancing sea.
Kendrapara has emerged as one of the worst-affected districts. Of its 149.36-km coastline, around 45% is reportedly facing erosion, while 16.8% remains stable and 38.9% has recorded coastal accretion, according to Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal in Parliament. The information was provided in response to a question raised by BJD MP Sasmit Patra.
Between 1990 and 2018, coastal erosion reportedly led to the disappearance of several villages across six coastal districts. Kendrapara alone lost 26 villages, while Ganjam lost 14 and Puri six villages.
The situation is also serious in other coastal districts. Around 10.2% of Puri’s 138.16-km coastline has experienced erosion, while Balasore has reported erosion along 23.8% of its 88.23-km coastline. Bhadrak has recorded erosion along 4.6% of its 72.36-km coastline, while Ganjam has seen 45.7% of its 60.18-km coastline affected.
Overall, of Odisha’s 564.14-km coastline, around 28.3% is reportedly experiencing erosion, while 17.6% remains stable and 54.1% has recorded accretion.
Several vulnerable stretches have been identified by the National Centre for Coastal Research, including Hetamundia, Hukitola, Pentha-Satabhaya and Satabhaya-Gahiramatha in Kendrapara.
At Pentha beach, a geosynthetic wall was constructed to protect around 56 villages and nearly 50,000 people from tidal surges. However, the structure reportedly suffered damage from strong tidal waves before Cyclone Montha last year, raising concerns over the safety of nearby communities. Stone packing was carried out along a 675-metre stretch of the beach, with the project costing around ₹32 crore.
With coastal erosion continuing to threaten settlements and livelihoods, questions are being raised over the effectiveness of existing protection measures and the need for long-term coastal management.
