Identification of Sensitive Region by Short Term Shoreline Change Analysis Over Gulf of Khambhat, Gujarat

Coastal zones, rivers, and riverine habitats, as well as deltas, all have tremendous significance in perspective of ecology, socioeconomic, and environmental standpoint. The present study is focused on Gulf of Cambay which also known as Gulf of Khambhat with the objective to identify most susceptible zones to erosion and accretion. The shoreline extraction has been carried out from multitemporal satellite datasets for three years 2008, 2009, and 2010 consecutively. The high-tide line (HTL) is considered as shoreline. The visual interpretation of atmospherically corrected Landsat 5 satellite data has been used to demarcate the HTL on basis of geomorphology and land use & land cover features. The study area, deciphered three regions (A: Mahadevpur region, B: Vishwamitri river estuary, C: Gogha region near Bhavnagar) is eroded and accreted drastically. The cumulative erosion observed over a period of three years were 207.73 km2, 167.85 km2, and 48.94 km2 whereas deposition 91.03 km2, 20.9 km2, and 11.81 km2, over the region A, B, and C, respectively. The main reason for erosion were strong tidal currents accompanied by wave action. Situation of erosion is magnified by degradation of mangrove cover over mudflats whereas accretion is the result of the sediment load transportation & deposition from the various rivers, i.e., Mahi, Narmada, Sabarmati, Vishwamitri, Tapti rivers. The study covers the scope of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 14: “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development”, Target 14.2 “sustainable manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans” and 14.5 “conserve at least 10 percent of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law and based on best available scientific information”.