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POLICY REVIEW

IMPACT OF FUTURE SEA LEVEL RISE ON COASTAL

REAL ESTATE AND INFRASTRUCTURE IN INDIA

An Agenda For Policy And Research

PROF. PIYUSH TIWARI Sea level rise (SLR) is inevitable of disaster risk mitigation and
adaptation.
and so is the risk to the coastal
DR. MOHIT KUMAR populations and properties.
Along the Indian coast, sea INTRODUCTION
levels are rising faster than the The average global sea level
global average. Metropolitan has increased by 76 mm in the
“Though we have some cities like Kolkata, Chennai, last 25 years due to increasing
information about potential Kochi and Mumbai would be concentrations of green house
the most impacted because of sea
SLR impacts along the level rise in future. Mumbai’s gases in the atmosphere
coastline of few metropolitan sea level is estimated to rise to (Willoughby et al., 2020).
The three primary factors
cities, we still do not know 0.12m by 2040 and a further attributed to sea level rise
how much area and how by 0.21 m by 2060 compared to (SLR) globally are thermal
many people will be at risk 0.04 m in 2020. The rise in sea expansion, melting glaciers,
for various levels of sea level level along Indian coast will and the loss of polar ice sheets.
rise scenarios in various other pose risk of flash flooding and The main risks arising from a
coastal regions of the country. submergence of many significant rising sea level are shoreline
An agenda for research should coastal properties and road erosion and degradation,
be on mapping the area and networks. Mumbai had suffered which are amplified by
population vulnerable to SLR economic losses worth USD storm surge, permanent land
1.75 billion between 2005 to
across every coastal district/ 2015 due to floods. Developing inundation, and saltwater
intrusion. Shoreline erosion
city.” policies to mitigate and adapt can occur since rising sea level
to the impacts of SLR in cities causes waves to push further
on Indian coastline is necessary. inland, even during low-tide.
Key Words: Sea level Rise (SLR), SDG 14 also recognizes the need Due to incessant growth of
Coastal Real Estate, Disaster Risk for sustainably managing and built areas in coastal towns,
Reduction, Financing, Urban Planning protecting marine and coastal the natural channels for storm
Prof. Piyush Tiwari (piyush.tiwari@ ecosystems to avoid significant water to drain into the sea
unimelb.edu.au) is Professor of adverse impacts. Vulnerability are lost. Furthermore, with
Property, Faculty of Architecture mapping of habitats along high tide, the effect of storms
Building and Planning, University the coastline in advance will are amplified as storm drains
of Melbourne, Australia & provide ample time to direct the are unable to drain into the
Visiting Professor, IRADe; and the efforts towards mitigation and sea as the high tide (which
Corresponding author. Dr. Mohit adaptation. There is also a need coincides with storm) pushes
Kumar is Research Analyst, Integrated to develop new market-based
Research and Action for Development instruments to finance the cost the water back on the land.
(IRADe), New Delhi, India. The rise in water table due to

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