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<p>Coastal regions across South Asia face growing pressure from ageing hard infrastructure and intensifying erosion, yet coast-wide data on the condition and performance of protective structures remain scarce. This study addresses this gap by assessing the structural status and functional performance of seawalls and groins along the 593-km coastline of Kerala, India. The goal is to provide a foundation for conservation-oriented coastal planning and risk-informed maintenance strategies. A statewide field-survey was conducted using a custom web-based geospatial tool. Visual and spatial condition data were collected for 330.8&#xa0;km of seawalls and 459 groins across all nine coastal districts of Kerala, India. Structures were categorized based on their physical integrity and associated beach condition to assess both protective effectiveness and sediment retention function. Only 28% of seawalls and 51% of groins were found to be structurally intact, with 81&#xa0;km of seawalls fully disintegrated. Alappuzha, Kozhikode, and parts of Thrissur show the highest failure rates. Functional gaps were evident in zones with partial or total structural collapse, particularly along high-energy sediment transport corridors. Three management-relevant coastal zones were identified: urban critical-asset stretches, dynamic sediment-transport sectors, and fragmented rural coasts. The results provide an empirical baseline for targeting conservation interventions and infrastructure upgrades. The findings are already informing shoreline management plan (SMP) in Kerala and offer a scalable approach for other monsoon-affected regions. This study contributes to operationalizing coastal conservation and infrastructure monitoring in data-limited settings.</p>

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Statewide field assessment of coastal protection structures in Kerala, India: structural and functional insights

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年8月12日

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  • Mridula G. Murali,
  • Sai Ganesh Veeravalli,
  • Satya Kiran Raju Alluri,
  • Ramanathan V,
  • Ramana Murthy M. V.

摘要

Coastal regions across South Asia face growing pressure from ageing hard infrastructure and intensifying erosion, yet coast-wide data on the condition and performance of protective structures remain scarce. This study addresses this gap by assessing the structural status and functional performance of seawalls and groins along the 593-km coastline of Kerala, India. The goal is to provide a foundation for conservation-oriented coastal planning and risk-informed maintenance strategies. A statewide field-survey was conducted using a custom web-based geospatial tool. Visual and spatial condition data were collected for 330.8 km of seawalls and 459 groins across all nine coastal districts of Kerala, India. Structures were categorized based on their physical integrity and associated beach condition to assess both protective effectiveness and sediment retention function. Only 28% of seawalls and 51% of groins were found to be structurally intact, with 81 km of seawalls fully disintegrated. Alappuzha, Kozhikode, and parts of Thrissur show the highest failure rates. Functional gaps were evident in zones with partial or total structural collapse, particularly along high-energy sediment transport corridors. Three management-relevant coastal zones were identified: urban critical-asset stretches, dynamic sediment-transport sectors, and fragmented rural coasts. The results provide an empirical baseline for targeting conservation interventions and infrastructure upgrades. The findings are already informing shoreline management plan (SMP) in Kerala and offer a scalable approach for other monsoon-affected regions. This study contributes to operationalizing coastal conservation and infrastructure monitoring in data-limited settings.