Impact on Coastal Ecosystem

[keerthi sureshbabu]

Coastal zones in India are currently facing increasing stresses and shocks as a consequence of cumulative environment change driven by population growth, urbanization, industrial development, trade and capital flows, liberalization of transnational corporation activity and life style, attitudinal changes and unsustainable growth leading to degradation of coastal zones and ecosystems.
A large percentage of coastal population is directly dependent on coastal and marine resources like mangroves and other coastal vegetation, agriculture and fisheries for their livelihood. Exploration and exploitation of oil and gas activities in the offshore regions like Godawari, Krishna and Mumbai have resulted in pollution of coastal ecosystems. The problem of fresh water is already acute in coastal regions of Tamilnadu, Gujarat, WestBengal and Orissa due to over extraction of groundwater which has resulted in lowering of groundwater table and salt water intrusion. The lowering of groundwater table has also led to subsidence of coastal land causing high relative sea level rise. Lagoons located across the coastal regions of India tend to be decreasing in area due to silting of sediments and plant growing. Sea-level rise and reduction of river-borne sediments will decelerate delta progradation and wetland renewal. The rich biodiversity is seriously threatened by loss of wetlands due to sea level rise.
Intensive production systems and large scale facilities used to raise high value shrimp, salmon and other premium species has taken a heavy toll on coastal habitats, with mangrove swamps in India, this is being cleared at an alarming rate.
Coastal ecosystems like mangroves , coral reefs provide natural protection to coasts by dissipating considerable wave energy and hence only smaller waves of moderate intensity reach the shore and break
Coastal erosion is caused by forces of nature but very offen accentuated by anthropogenic activities like making of structures on shores.
The fishery resources of India are being depleted by over fishing, excessive use of pesticide, industrial pollution and even construction of coastal structures.
The loss of inshore fish nursery habitats by coastal development, and pollution from land based activities cause significant change to ecosystems supporting fisheries.
The impact of global warming on fisheries will depend on the complicated food chain, which could be disturbed by sea level rise, change in ocean currents and alternation of the mixing layer thickness.
Large scale changes in species composition and zonation in mangrove forests are also expected due to changes in sedimentation and organic accumulation, nature of coastal profile and species interaction.

[Kalathure Laxminarayana Rao]

Yes your very first sentance- " Cumulative environment change driven by population growth" and the rest of the sentance- "urbanization, industrial development, trade and capital flows, liberalization of transnational corporation activity and life style, attitudinal changes and unsustainable growth" are results of populaton growth and there lies the solution to our problem. Stop population growth. If you dont do that whatever you provide as a solution to the current problems like be it be degradation of coastal ecosystem or the current hot problem " the corruption" facing this country and the world will grow. People find bew way of circumventing all rules and regulations you make to preserve the environment and or corruption which makes your rules and regulations toothless. There fore all efforts should be towards population growth retardation:

First of all people should come out of their relegious beleifs that only sons can send them to haven and stop producing till they get a male child. We should also learn to love all children and from among the brothers and sisters whoever gets a child should be treated as the child of the whole family and adopted by all. it is futile exercise to think of all other solutions to the current problems, unless we stop population growth.

[jagtap jitendra popatrao]

this show how government is handaling with environment issue,there should be person in central ministry who have love and knowledge of environmental factor,environmental minister should be environmentalist in state and center to solve this problem.