Sea levels have estimated to have risen by 1.3 millilitres annually along the Indian coasts during the past 40-50 years, the government said on Friday.
In a written response to a question, Union Minister forState for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey said rising sealevels can exacerbate the impacts of coastal hazards such as storm surge,tsunami, coastal floods, high waves and erosion in the low-lying areas inaddition to causing gradual loss of land to the sea.
“Recent studies by Indian scientists reveal that the trendsof sea level rise is estimated to be 1.3mm/year along the Indian coasts duringthe last 40-50 years,” Choubey said.
He was standing-in for Earth Sciences Minister Harsh Vardhanwho is in Japan to attend the G20 Summit.
Some parts of the Indian coastline have been facing erosionand river mouths are experiencing deltaic subsidence, he noted. “However, it has not been established that thesemanifestations are only due to rise in sea level,” he said.