With new research from New Zealand raising concerns about rising sea levels impacting groundwater levels and causing inland flooding, environmental groups in India have urged disaster management authorities to take proactive measures.
The NatConnect Foundation has called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take note of a recent study focused on Dunedin, New Zealand, which suggests that rising sea levels could simultaneously elevate groundwater levels, increasing the risk of inland floods. The findings were published in a science magazine by AGU, a global community dedicated to Earth and space sciences, said NatConnect Director B.N. Kumar.
The study highlights that South Dunedin already experiences periodic flooding, which is expected to worsen due to rising sea levels. Researchers have described the city as a “poster child” for New Zealand’s climate adaptation efforts, he added.
“These findings reinforce our longstanding demand to conserve wetlands, which act as urban sponges and help prevent flooding,” said B.N. Kumar, director of NatConnect Foundation. He stressed the importance of preserving river floodplains and leaving space for water expansion instead of burying water bodies for infrastructure development.
Kumar criticized the government for its lack of attention to ecological threats and urged authorities to focus on disaster prevention rather than reacting to crises caused by environmental mismanagement. He also called on the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the Geological Survey of India to assess coastal groundwater levels alongside rising sea levels.
Despite India’s vast 7,500 km coastline, discussions on the impact of rising sea levels remain minimal, apart from a brief government report on coastal erosion, NatConnect lamented.
Nandakumar Pawar, director of NGO Sagar Shakti, warned that government bodies are compromising safety by altering Coastal Zone Management Plans (CZMPs) to favor real estate and infrastructure projects. He highlighted the ongoing issue in Uran and Panvel, where the destruction of intertidal wetlands has led to increased flooding, forcing authorities to spend significant funds on relief measures.
“These issues will only intensify in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), where wetlands are rapidly disappearing, and project authorities like CIDCO, JNPA, and MMRDA show little regard for ecological balance,” Pawar added.
Kumar emphasized the importance of learning from New Zealand’s research, which used data from 35 groundwater sensors across Dunedin’s low-lying coastal land. He noted that a similar situation exists in Uran, where flooding occurs even during non-monsoon months, underscoring the urgent need for better environmental planning and disaster preparedness.
