Coastal high-tide flooding declared State-specific disaster

The State government has issued an order that financial assistance will be given to those affected by coastal high-tide flooding/sea incursion.

According to the order of the Disaster Management department, damage to life, property, livelihoods, and infrastructure caused by waves intruding from the sea to land beyond the high-tide line (HTL) or by resultant flooding shall be termed coastal high-tide flooding/sea incursion and be declared a State-specific disaster.

Accordingly, financial assistance, similar to that provided to natural disaster victims under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) norms, will be given to victims of coastal high-tide flooding/sea incursion.

The order says that a letter from the Disaster Management Commissioner in October last year clarified that the mode of occurrence of flooding (such as extremely heavy rainfall, tidal rise, waves, release of water from dams, urban waterlogging, swell waves, melting of snow layers, and cyclone-induced abnormal waves) did not lead to any variation in the assistance provided.

In this context, Section 2(d) of the Disaster Management Act provides that if flooding caused by tidal rise adversely affects a community and results in loss of life, livelihood, and living conditions, such a natural phenomenon can be considered a disaster, says the order.

As per coastal regulation zone (CRZ) notification, high-tide line (HTL) is the legally defined coastal line determined using precise scientific methods. Water intruding beyond the HTL generally constitutes dangerous sea incursion, exceeding the normal high-tide range. Owing to high tide, seawater rises and enters residential areas through adjoining rivers, backwaters and canals.

Along the State’s coast, particularly in areas such as Vypeen, Chellanam, Edakochi, and Perumbadappu in Kochi Corporation and in Kumbalanghi panchayat, tidal flooding caused by seawater ingress occurs frequently. This causes extensive damage to residential areas and infrastructure, affecting the lives, livelihoods, and living conditions of fishermen, coastal residents, small traders, and many others.

Owing to deficiencies in land use (houses/structures located in floodplains and river/water body puramboke lands) and factors such as siltation and reduced depth of rivers and lakes, flooding occurs during tidal rise in an unprecedented manner now, says the order.

Therefore, based on the HTL, the natural phenomenon termed coastal high-tide flooding/sea incursion falls within the scope of the definition of disaster under the Disaster Management Act in Kerala and can be declared a State-specific disaster, according to the order.