Publication: Sustainable Hard and Soft Measures for Coastal Protection
Date
01-01-2023
Authors
V Sundar
S A Sannasiraj
K Murali
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Coastal developments across the globe have been rapid, in keeping pace with the growing infrastructure for ports, inland waterways, trade and commerce, tourism, fisheries, a hub for power plants, etc. This has resulted in an increase in population density along the coastal stretches. Such developments are bound to lead to instability in the shoreline, apart from the natural causes of coastal hazards. The process of erosion as well as accretion in the vicinity of approach channels of harbours, confluence tidal inlets or seas can either be natural, man-made or a combination of both. Excessive erosion or accretion problems need to be handled carefully without causing adverse effects along the adjoining shoreline, although it is a challenging task. Several such issues and the measures to combat the problems are well understood through case studies. To counter or minimize coastal erosion, the protection measures are broadly classified as hard and soft measures. A few case studies based on both approaches are considered, their performance characteristics are presented, and the merits and demerits of both methods are highlighted in this chapter.