Coastal erosion displaces 400 families in India’s east coast

INDIA-CN-1002

Coastal erosion displaces 400 families in India's east coast

India

Odisha

Ganjam

Podampeta village in Ganjam district.

2007

Resolved

Podampeta village, located along the Gopalpur coast in Ganjam district of Odisha, is a coastal fishing settlement that has undergone progressive displacement due to sustained coastal erosion. The erosion process intensified in the mid-2000s, with residents identifying the late-2000s — particularly around 2007 — as the period when shoreline retreat began to significantly affect habitation. Houses, agricultural land, and community infrastructure were gradually lost due to continuous wave action and tidal ingress.

By 2010, the sea had advanced into core settlement areas. A high-tide event in 2011 caused substantial damage to residential structures and accelerated out-migration. Subsequent years saw repeated erosion and structural loss, rendering large portions of the village uninhabitable. Reports indicate that several hundred households were affected, with a majority eventually displaced.

In 2015, as the situation worsened amid erosion, households moved through state-supported resettlement. Government interventions included the allocation of land and housing support in the inland location in New Podampeta. The government provided Rs 3,00,000 per family for house construction, and residents purchased private land plots for approximately Rs 10,000 to Rs 40,000. Each family had to buy a private plot 40 acres

400 families were relocated, and the original settlement was abandoned. Coastal erosion continues along this stretch, but large-scale displacement has largely concluded due to the near-total relocation of the population.

For families belonging to fishermen community, in their original location, the access to sea was easy as the settlement was directly at the seashore. However, the relocation led to settle 2.91 km away from the original settlement, while the distance of sea increased, over half a kilometre.

“Even if not harshly, the increase distance affects fishermen as they can’t safely keep the boats there, while earlier the settlement itself was at the seashore,” said Bairagi, a 35-year-old resident who was relocated to New Podampeta in 2015.

Moreover, the six months of ban on fishing for turtle nesting also affects the fishermen as they say that each family is paid only Rs 15000 for the period while they demand Rs 30,000.

Primary Climate Hazard Displacement

Direct

Climate

Hydrological

Slow

Erosion

Sea Level Rise

Yes

Odisha Coast (Bay of Bengal erosion hotspot)

2000

400

Forced, Distress, Planned

2.91

permanent

Centralized relocation

1

mixed

4.32

2

2.32

New Podampeta

Yes

private

5.1

0

5.1

Fishing / aquaculture, Daily wage labor

Fishing or aquaculture

Livelihood of communities remained relatively same, while some migrated.

significant

The state government Rs 3 lakh to each family for the construction of houses in new location, however, the land had to be bought by the families.

partial

Livelihood Support, Safe Relocation Site

Yes

Yes

Initially, the relocation was planned at much distance, which the villagers formally addressed. Their demand was relocating in place where sea is accessible. Accordingly, they were relocated within 3km from the original village, with distance of half a kilometre from sea, which residents, comparatively better location in terms of access to sea. The demand was fulfilled.

As the location where the the villagers fish currently and even in their previous location, fishing was also impacted by another factor for six months; the ban on fishing for six months amid conservation activities related to turtle nesting. Each family is paid on-time compensation Rs 15000 which community members say does not fill the gap of six months of livelihood loss. They seek livelihood support demanding hike in this compensation. Although the later demand does not directly connect to climate related displacement as the conservation effort would anyway would affected them even if they would be in previous location, however, the relocated communities’ livelihood is directly connected to sea and therefore this also becomes a part of the larger issue, the affected families pointed out.

Odisha Disaster Recovery Project (ODRP): Families were relocated to inland resettlement colonies under ODRP-supported housing and rehabilitation measures. | Disaster Management Act, 2005: The broader legal authority for state disaster response and rehabilitation derives from the Disaster Management Act, 2005. This Act empowers: state governments, district administrations, disaster management authorities to undertake evacuation, rehabilitation, and disaster-risk reduction measures in hazard-prone areas. Although the Act does not specifically mention climate displacement, it forms the institutional basis for relocation from erosion-prone coastal zones.

Government, Non-governmental organisation, Media, Fieldwork

Fear surges along Ganjam coast as sea creeps in

https://www.newindianexpress.com/odisha/2019/Apr/22/fear-surges-along-ganjam-coast-as-sea-creeps-in-1967806.html

Field work in Podampeta and New Podampeta

High