Odisha Case Study

Question 1

Describe Odisha

Answer 1

• Odisha is a state on the south-east coast of India bordering the Bay of Bengal
• It is a coast mostly of deposition, comprising of many deltas
• Has 1435km2 of Mangrove Forest

Question 2

What are opportunities for human occupation and development in Odisha?

Answer 2

• Over 1.4 million employed in fishing sector
• Area has huge potential for offshore wind, tidal and wave power
• 35% of its coast is laden with minerals and heavy metal deposits
• Beaches like Puri Beach helped attract over 11 million tourists to Odisha in 2024

Question 3

What are the risks for human occupation and development?

Answer 3

• Rates of erosion have increased in recent decades -> majority of Odisha lives on the coast -> vulnerable
• Hard management (eg. Puri Beach sea wall) shifts the problem -> without the sediment transport, some beaches, dunes, spits and salt marshes are threatened

Question 4

Outline the 2013 Cyclone Phailin

Answer 4

• Wind speeds up to 200kmh
• Over 1 million evacuated
• 43 deaths
• Economic losses $700000
• Chilika Lake suffered from a storm surge that took the ecosystem years to recover from -> thousands of mangrove trees destroyed -> more vulnerable

Question 5

Outline the 1999 Odisha Cyclone

Answer 5

• Killed over 10000
• Led to creation of the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA 2000) -> community training, evacuation planning, earlier warnings
• Over 800 multipurpose cyclone shelters built

Question 6

Who is involved in the 2010 Odisha ICZM?

Answer 6

• Joint venture by the government of Odisha, Indian Government, World Bank and Ministry of Forest
• Many other stakeholders were consulted regarding management of the coast such as Greenpeace India, Odisha Tourism Development Corporation, Wetlands International

Question 7

What landforms are there at Odisha?

Answer 7

• Beaches (eg. Puri)
• Deltas (eg. Mahanadi)
• Sand dunes
• Chilika Lake (lagoon behind a spit), acts as a sediment sink within the cell
• Mangroves

Question 8

Outline mangroves in Odisha and their importance

Answer 8

• In recent decades has been a 62% decline in mangroves in the Mahanadi Delta due to development of fisheries and other economic demands
• Average width of mangroves protecting villages fell from 5.1km to 1.2km in the past 50 years
• 1999 Odisha Cyclone, villages that had 4km or more of mangroves recorded no deaths, those with less than 3km had high death rates
• ICZM (NGO Wetlands International) is trying to reverse decades of mangrove destruction by helping villagers cultivate and plant mangroves

Question 9

How much of Odisha’s coastline is experiencing erosion?

Answer 9

Around 37%, rates of erosion are increasing

Question 10

Outline coastal management measures at Odisha

Answer 10

• Puri Beach sea wall has protected the Puri beachfront, however has increased erosion south of the sea wall as waves hit the unprotected beaches with more energy
• Geotube embankment in Pentha protects roughly 6000 hectares of farmland and local villages from storm surges and wave action, funded by World Bank -> environmentally friendly through minimal ecosystem disruption and reduce emissions in production
• Embankments have been raised over past decades but have caused mangrove habitat loss as mangroves need regular tidal flooding to survive

Question 11

Outline strategies of adaptation in Odisha

Answer 11

People moved inland to be further protected