Tamil Nadu commences restoration of Kariyachalli island in Gulf of Mannar to combat erosion and boost marine biodiversity
The restoration project, being carried out at a cost of ₹50 crore, is funded by the state government and the World Bank. The Tamil Nadu Forest Department, in partnership with the IIT-Madras and Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute in Thoothukudi, is undertaking this ambitious initiative.
The Gulf of Mannar (GoM) located on the southeastern coast of India, is one of the four major coral reef areas in India. It comprises 21 uninhabited low-lying islands within the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, stretching 160 km between Rameswaram and Thoothukudi.
The surrounding coral reefs in these islands help to protect the mainland from coastal erosion, extreme weather, while also supporting fisherfolks by increasing the fish production. However extensive coral mining, before it was completely stopped in 2005, the most selective mined species of boulder coral were from the genera Porites and Favia, which were principal reef builders and sediment suppliers of the reef island. As a result, many islands are shrinking due to erosion and lack of sediment replenishment.
In case of, Kariyachalli island, which belongs to the Thoothukudi group is located at about 4 km south of Sippikulam and 20 km northeast of Thoothukudi old harbour. According to a report from SDMRI, the total area of the island was 20.85 hectares in 1969 (Survey of India Toposheet), 16.64 hectares in 1986 during Marine National Park notification and 5.97 hectares in 2017. But at present during April 2025, it has an area cover of 3.14 hectares during the high tide level and 4.12 hectares during the low tide level. Kariyachalli island possess beaches, sand dunes, spit and sandy plains.
The alarming shrinkage prompted the government to undertake restoration of Kariyachalli island. The initiative involves the deployment of 8,500 multipurpose artificial reef modules, especially designed to protect and restore the highly eroded island, to conserve and enhance biodiversity, address the impacts of climate change and sustain fishery resources. The project also includes the restoration of degraded coral reefs and seagrass beds. Interestingly the project will also engage over 300 local community members during restoration.
S.A. Sannasiraj, Professor, Department of Ocean Engineering said that the layout of artificial reefs has been planned as per the island configuration and the fabrication of the artificial reef is currently underway. He added that while the deployment of the modules are similar to the 'Vaan' island project, the recovery process would be slower due to the comparatively slower rate of degradation.
Whereas, the director of SDMRI J.K. Edward Patterson noted 'The island's degraded habitat such as coral reefs and seagrass beds are also being restored, which will enhance the coral and seagrass associated marine life and help protect the island from erosion.'
Speaking on the initiative, Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Forests said that environmental and social impact assessments and wave dynamics and bathymetry investigations have been conducted by IIT-Madras. 'The island has shrunk from 20.85 hectares to over three hectares now and the protection and restoration of island and its various ecosystems like coral reefs and seagrass beds will help not only to save the island from further erosion but also to protect the nearby coast and enhance biodiversity, which are vital to sustained livelihood of fisherfolk,' added Ms. Sahu.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Girl overcomes debilitatingdisease to make it to IIT-K
Lucknow: She was denied admissions into mainstream schools in her early years. But, now 19-year-old Riddhima Paul, daughter of a policeman from Malda city in West Bengal, has secured a berth at the premier IIT-Kanpur. Admitted under the persons with disabilities (PwD) quota for the academic session 2025-26, she will pursue BS in Mathematics and Scientific Computing. Born with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a debilitating condition that affects voluntary muscle movement, wheelchair-confined Riddhima defied all odds to become a beacon of hope for many. "I am delighted to be part of IIT-K. My admissions prove that 'where there is a will, there's a way," said Riddhima, sitting in her hostel room at IIT-K. Citing Riddhima's journey through higher education as a powerful testament to her resilience, extraordinary courage, and determination, IIT-K's dean of student affairs Prof Pratik Sen said, "Riddhima has not just faced challenges, she has embraced and mastered them. Her remarkable strength inspires those around her." Riddhima took JEE in 2024 and had a PwD rank of 12, but was one mark short for admissions to formal courses at IITs. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Thereafter, she undertook a mandatory one-year preparatory course at IIT-Indore. At the course, she cracked the qualifying esam to make it to IIT-K's BS course this year. "My parents never wanted me to go to a special school. After many denials, I got through one mainstream pre-school where I topped the nursery exams. The teachers were astonished at my performance and told my parents that I was fit for class 1. Every year till class 4, I stood as class topper," recalled Riddhima. Despite her whole body, right from the limbs, digestive system, respiratory system and spine, being affected, Riddhima had extraordinary cognitive abilities. When she was in class 8, she watched the Bollywood movie Super-30 starring Hrithik Roshan, which inspired her for IITs. In her class 10 and 12, she performed brilliantly, securing 94.8% and 90.8% respectively. "Her dedication and positive attitude were truly inspiring. Seeing her succeed in such a prestigious exam reaffirms my belief that with the right support and perseverance, no limitation is insurmountable," said Dipanka Shekhar Sanyal, who guided Riddhima in her JEE preparations. The Pauls first noticed indications of the disease when Riddhima, like other kids, could not crawl or roll. They consulted local doctors who hardly knew about the malady. With the suspicion of a genetic component, the Pauls were advised to take Riddhima to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, when she was barely three years old, the time to go to school. The NIMHANS report confirmed SMA. "Doctors told us that Riddhima would not live longer than 10 years. But we believed that there is hope as long as she breathes (saans hai to aas hai)," said Riddhima's mother Arunita Paul, who is her biggest pillar of support and stays with her on the IIT-K campus. Growing up to be an attractive, intelligent, and articulate baby, Riddhima could already sing in tune when she was 18 months old and showed interest in chess at five. A year before, at four, she could raise herself from a sitting position. "With limited resources, we could organise physiotherapy sessions for her weekly. When she was eight years old, the first symptoms of scoliosis (spine bending) began to appear," said Riddhima's father, Rajib Paul, ASI, Malda police. Despite her mental stamina, she could not walk, which attracted insensitive remarks from relatives and neighbours — an irritant Arunita learnt to live with. "There was not a single day without struggle. People mocked her and us for making her study. Many even told us to get rid of her, which made us stronger, and we rose to the challenge, keeping our morale high," said Arunita. Finally, in 2022, a team of doctors in Bengaluru performed a scoliosis surgery that lasted for almost 10 hours. "The surgery gave me strength to pursue higher studies. My love for mathematics is from an early age of three. I used to sit with my uncle when he took tuitions for elder students, and that helped me learn numbers quickly," said Riddhima.
The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
Shaping India's multidimensional fight against poverty
India's efforts to reduce poverty have produced admirable results. As per the World Bank's revised poverty line, between 2011 and 2023, approximately 270 million people have been able to come out of extreme poverty. That's more than the population of Germany and Russia, combined. The poorest caste and religious groups saw the fastest absolute reduction in this period. It is now widely recognised that poverty is multidimensional, encompassing more than just lack of money. It includes deprivations in health, education, and quality of life. India's Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) measures poverty using multiple indicators. It looks at 12 basic needs across health, education, and standard of living to understand how people are deprived in different parts of their lives. A person is considered poor if they are deprived in at least one-third of the indicators used. Based on this approach, NITI Aayog's discussion paper reminds us that nearly 200 million people in India still face multiple hardships. Poverty remains severe, with the poorest struggling to meet about half of their 12 basic needs. These people often live in mud houses in which piped water and proper sanitation are still considered luxuries. It is not unusual for them to skip meals in a day, and an illness or an unexpected life event can have disastrous consequences. It's important to remember that when people face simultaneous deprivations — especially non-monetary ones — these challenges can reinforce each other, keeping people trapped in poverty. For example, people who are deprived in both nutrition and sanitation are potentially more vulnerable to infectious diseases. These deprivation bundles are a recurring pattern observed among people living in extreme poverty around the world. Quite often, poverty reduction policies are not framed keeping these interlinkages in mind. Graduation Approach This multi-pronged way to measure and study poverty also demands a fresh approach to design anti-poverty programmes. For governments, it means investing in programmes that give people living in extreme poverty the tools to escape the poverty trap. Bangladesh-based NGO BRAC's Graduation Approach offers an effective model to do that. The Graduation Approach provides the poorest of the poor a sequential and complementary package that includes a productive asset such as livestock or small items for trading, training to manage them, some money for up to a year to meet their immediate needs, and mentorship to manage their income and savings. The programme has become a global success. It has reached and improved the standard of living for millions of households across 43 countries following randomised evaluations by researchers affiliated with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), including Nobel Laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo. Households around the world receiving the multi-component support package of the Graduation Approach made significant gains in all the key MPI indicators. Let's take a closer look at them. Standard of living: The model increased household spending on food, fuel, and assets — all key elements of the MPI's standard of living dimension. In Bangladesh, researchers observed that participants were more likely to own land and a shop just two years after the programme — activities which the rural middle class partakes in. Even in Yemen, among the poorest countries in the world, people spent more on refurbishing their houses, suggesting they had money to spare after meeting their essential needs. Families also reported better financial security and higher spending on children. In India, households held more assets and reduced their dependence on informal credit. Health: Graduation Approach's focus on improving food security and access to healthcare can directly contribute to better health outcomes. In Afghanistan, the programme helped reduce diarrhoea among children under five years of age by eight percentage points. A study in Pakistan, India, Honduras, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Peru found people reported better health and happiness. In India too, some emerging lessons from studies show significant and sustained improvement in food security with 99% of participant households not skipping meals. Education: Researchers found that certain adaptations of the Graduation Approach also increased school enrolment rates among children. A study in Afghanistan conducted over 2016-2018 found that school enrolment rose by 7 percentage points for boys and 5 for girls. The Graduation Approach's close alignment with the national MPI indicators gives Indian States as well as the federal government a useful blueprint to design anti-poverty programmes effective in handling its multidimensional nature. Common deprivations It helps policymakers to identify the key areas that need urgent attention. For instance, the most common deprivation bundle in India is across four categories: nutrition, housing, sanitation, and clean cooking fuel. More than 34 million people lack access to these in India. Policies that target these areas in tandem are likely to have a much greater impact on poverty reduction. Over the past few years, India has introduced a slew of policies to improve children's nutrition, health and well-being of mothers, and financial inclusion for people living in poverty. And it has been successful too. Initiatives such as Poshan Abhiyan have been instrumental in improving health outcomes, particularly in reducing malnutrition, and PM Awas Yojana has reached millions through affordable housing. But these actions are often led by different Ministries. A multifaceted programme such as the Graduation Approach makes it easier for policy planners to achieve these different goals through one concerted strategy. In 2024, the Ministry of Rural Development took an important step in this direction by piloting the Samaveshi Aajeevika Initiative (Inclusive Development Programme) initiative across 11 States with a consortium of partners including BRAC, The Nudge Institute and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab ( J-PAL) South Asia. The programme — based on the Graduation Approach model — is designed to help rural women become entrepreneurs and put them on the path to self-sufficiency. Using this as a platform and in the spirit of cooperative federalism, States can identify vulnerability hotspots through MPI and target them through integrated proven solutions such as the Samaveshi Aajeevika to fight poverty and its multiple facets. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid down an ambitious vision for inclusive development with a singular objective: leave no one behind. And as India marches towards becoming a high-income country by 2047, States must embrace evidence-based, innovative models such as Samaveshi Aajevika that can set people free from the poverty trap. Parikrama Chowdhry is the Lead - Policy (Scale-ups) at J-PAL South Asia; views are personal
The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
TGSWREIS records 5-year high Inter admission rate at 86.7%
The Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TGSWREIS) has recorded 86.7% admission rate for the first year of Intermediate for the 2025–26 academic year, the highest in the past five years, according to official data. Of 19,680 available seats, 17,100 have already been filled. The remaining institution-wise vacancies have been published on the official website ( and will be filled through spot counselling scheduled for July 31, officials said. The Society's premier Centres of Excellence also saw a record-high admission rate of 91%, the best since 2022–23, when it stood at 79.91%. These centres, which admit only high-achieving students (typically those scoring over 90% in Class 10) have seen consistent growth in seat capacity. From 640 seats in 2022–23, the number rose to 960 the following year, and further to 1,560 in 2025–26. Of these, 1,420 seats have already been filled. According to the institutional structure, the 26 district centres of excellence come just next to the foundational premier centres (FPC). These have more moderate entry requirements, but students have the opportunity to move up to the FPCs in their second year if they score above 95% in their first-year exams, thanks to a mobility scheme in place. The Society describes its 11 flagship FCPs as 'academic powerhouses' that offer focused coaching for competitive exams like IIT-JEE, NEET, CMA and CLAT. These centres are supported by advanced planning, digital learning tools and experienced faculty teams. TGSWREIS also reported that its Sainik School in Rukmapur achieved 100% admissions for the academic year.
