In a bid to provide protection to vital installations along the Gujarat coastline, the state government has undertaken a project to study how coastal vegetation could help in mitigating impact of natural disasters like tsunami and cyclone.
The Bio-shield project, being implemented by the Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA), would be first carried out on pilot basis in the South Gujarat region where coastal vegetation including mangroves would be planted in an area and studied over a period of time. It is also believed that presence of natural barriers along the coastline could also have a positive impact on soil erosion, salinity ingress and water pollution in the area.
"The bio-shield has been taken up with objective to see that there is adequate natural protection of industries and coast areas from the sea," Principal Secretary Environment and Forests S K Nanda said. He said that the project once finalised would be implemented on a public private partnership (PPP) model. To develop an action plan for the bio-shield project, the government has roped in Prof Nikhil Desai heading the Geology department of M S University, Vadodara. Desai is also member of the GCZMA.
"We have been given a task to finalise the coastal stretch between Dahej in Bharuch and Hazira in Surat, where the project would be implemented on a pilot basis and suggest which plantations could be done besides mangroves," Desai said.
