Coastal Vulnerability Indices: Constraints and Opportunities of Nagapattinam Region, Tamil Nadu, India

Rajesh J and Lakshumanan C

Abstract

Coastal vulnerability and sensitivity indices accept that the addition of socio-economic variables defining the vulnerable areas. These studies envisage the incorporation of socio-economic variables into a GIS based coastal vulnerability index for shoreline management of Nagapattinam. a socio-economic sub-index was developed to contribute potentially one third of the overall index score, the other components consisted of coastal forcing and coastal characteristic sub-indices. All variables were ranked on separately 1-5 scale with 5 being the most vulnerable. The variables were integrated with sub-indices and the sub-indices were combined to produce theoverall index. Most previously developed coastal vulnerability/sensitivity indices acknowledge that the addition of socio-economic variables would assist in defining vulnerable areas. The area of Nagapattinam having the greatest influence from the socio-economic index as might be expected, given its sheltered position and high level ofinfrastructure of the eleven areas, Velankanni has the highest score in the coastal forcing sub-index, followed by Vettaikaraniruppu, while Velanganni is dominated by the coastal characteristics subindex as is the Nagapattinam.