The massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake that Indonesia woke upto on the 26th December 2004 triggered a tsunami in the Indian Ocean, causing widespread destruction in several parts of South and Southeast Asia with impacts faced by countries far beyond. The mainland Indian coast (states of Tamil Nadu, Union Territory .of Pondicherry and parts of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala) and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were witness to some of the worst impacts on social, economic and ecological systems.

Relief & rehabilitation and the environment

Considering the example of fisheries, which has been perceived as the sector to have had maximum impact, the relief phase saw innumerable crafts and gear (mostly boats, nets, motors, etc) being distributed to affected fisherfolk families. Perhaps the most tangible support, this according to environmentalists could result in over fishing, threatening the natural resource base that is already facing pressures. Further, this has created social anomalies amongst fishing communities whose members are differently skilled. 

There were other knee-jerk reactions as well, both ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ preventive measures to protect against coastal catastrophes. The plantation of casuarina and mangroves along the coast is one such activity being actively pursued by the Forest department. In a presentation at a recent workshop it was learnt that the TamilNadu Forest Department has planted close to 2000ha of shelterbelts (including casuarina) in 2005-2006 and is proposing another 2000ha in the coming year.

Had engineering options such as sea walls have also been discussed in the context of coastal protection. Be it Kalpakkam or Pondicherry coast these sea walls and groynes may offer protection to a certain extent but one tends to question whether these are indeed final solutions for holistic coastal protection. 

The question of sustainability

In this backdrop, there are several questions that need comprehensive answers for better coastal protection – what are factors that make coastlines inherently vulnerable or resilient to large-scale natural disturbances? Will bioshields or shelterbelts alone provide significant protection to the coastline? Did the various laws that govern development and use of coastal areas (the CRZ for instance) provide any significant protection to the coastline?  How have ecosystems and human communities responded to the tsunami?  What factors of community or governance bolster resilience and sustainability in socio-ecological systems, and is it possible to promote/replicate these factors in other parts of the coast?

Answers to these questions will not only help understand and promote socio-ecological resilience along the coast, but would also ensure that approaches to coastal protection would actually be environmentally sustainable. 

To take these first steps to make the coast environmentally sustainable and coastal communities resilient, the United Nations Development Programme has operationalised the Post-Tsunami Environment Initiative as part of the Recovery Framework put in place by the UN system after the tsunami of 2004. The project aims to understand coastal vulnerability and resilience in the face of such natural disasters within the Indian context, to establish participatory ecological and community monitoring systems, to critically analyse environment and developmental coastal policies and, to develop planning and management models for key sites along the coast.

CAG, along with Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore and Ashoka Trust for Ecology & Environment, Bangalore is executing this project in two phases spread over three years.

In an effort to inform people about the project and the progress of it, CAG along with the partner organisations brought out information handout in English and in Tamil-Coastal Environment Desk.