2022 - UDA Digest

ESG and Climate Risk Science and Technology

Managing Freshwater Resources in the Tropics – A New Perspective

admin
February 17, 2022
0 Comments

Managing Freshwater Resources in the Tropics – A New Perspective Water is a critical resource. Growing population, coupled with urbanization, is causing serious concerns in ensuring long term sustainability of this resource in India. Developing countries such as India are facing a potential crisis situation- water resource management efforts are in complete disarray on one hand, and the demand for water is growing at an alarming rate on the other. Further, India faces a unique challenge as the annual monsoon rains are concentrated within the narrow time period of three months, causing high flow rates of rivers and consequent high volume of silt getting carried to storage reservoirs. Heavy siltation of our freshwater systems causes flooding of the plains downstream during wet spells, and water shortages during dry spells. Freshwater management consists of two major factors – firstly, storage systems that hold water to prevent flooding and for use during dry spells, and secondly, their alternative, which is recharge areas that facilitate recharging of the ground water. The type of the surface layer determines the effectiveness of the storage or recharge system. Any change in the surface layer due to siltation or improper desilting will render these systems ineffective or even counterproductive. For example, if the top later is dredged incorrectly, then a recharge system may start behaving like a storage system and vice versa. Our own city of Pune is fed through a system of dams that store water collected in the monsoons for the long dry spell. “However, our lakes and reservoirs are operating at less than 50% capacity due to excessive silting.” Thus, there is a critical need to urgently desilt these storage dams and reservoirs. This has to be done carefully as well; unlike recharge water bodies, storage systems need to ensure minimal seepage to the ground water systems. Thus, desilting efforts have to ensure that we do not disturb the sediment layer that retains the water within the storage system. The precise identification of the sediment layers is thus very critical to plan desilting efforts. Sediment classification in reservoirs, lakes, rivers and many other water systems is a critical component of the resource management of these freshwater bodies. Multiple stakeholders need precise sediment classification for various purposes. For instance, fresh water management authorities require sediment classification to desilt water bodies and enhance their storage capacity; flood management agencies, to minimise spillages; underwater archaeology researchers, to study the evolution of the layers; instrumentation engineers, to understand sensor behaviour and the impact of the underwater medium; and many more. While classifying sediment, sonar technology is used to identify the silt type. When sediment classification is done precisely using effective sonars, it can optimise the dredging cost, and enable the use of appropriate dredging equipment which, in turn, can minimise the damages. There are multiple dredging techniques available, but each has its own type and the costs associated vary from type to type. By classifying sediment precisely, one can manage the removed silt effectively, and thus offset these costs. The classical sediment analysis method of coring is highly resource intensive and localised, whereas using the acoustic technique can be highly resource efficient. This is because the acoustic technique deploys sonars which facilitate large coverage of underwater area. However, in tropical shallow water conditions, sonars are also likely to perform less optimally for any credible underwater application due to random fluctuation of surface parameters during the day as well as across seasons. Further, import of sonar technology in the absence of local scientific inputs through field experiments has not been very beneficial. Extensive field efforts are required to first understand the unique medium characteristics of our tropical underwater regions so that the sonar signal distortions occurring due to the random fluctuations during the day and across seasons can be mitigated effectively. The issues do not stop here. Removal of silt leads to a bigger issue of managing the dredged material. The use and value of the silt is determined by its type. It is often recommended that silt, which is very fertile, be dumped in agricultural fields. However, fields have a very narrow window available for accepting the silt, which is not enough for the entire process to be workable. The volume of silt is too massive to be dumped on the fields. The transport cost would be prohibitive and would not make any economic sense in a developing country like ours. Instead, this material can be used for making bricks; there are now technologies available that can take the silt as input and generate very high number of bricks for construction purposes. This will effectively address our infrastructure requirements while offsetting transportation costs. Desilting requires precise information about the type of silt deposited in these systems. Conventional desilting efforts are highly resource-intensive and developing nations with limited resources have to walk a tight rope balancing socio-economic and political imperatives with such huge budgetary allocations. That is probably the reason why hardly any desilting efforts have taken place in our country yet. There is no doubt or debate regarding the importance of sediment analysis and the urgency of undertaking desilting. “There is a pressing need to undertake detailed analysis of the sediment using acoustic technique, deploying multiple types of sonars with extensive field validation using coring to establish the effectiveness of the results.” The entire desilting plan with costing and possible offsets will have to be brought out with advantages over the conventional methods. Dr. (Cdr.) Arnab Das About Author Director, Maritime Research Center, Pune

Blue Economy

Development of Blue Economy for National Growth

admin
February 17, 2022
0 Comments

Development of Blue Economy for National Growth “The blue economy is envisaged as the integration of a water-based economy including inland water bodies and Ocean Economy development with the principles of social inclusion, environmental sustainability and innovative, dynamic business models.” The development of the blue economy holds immense promise for the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The Indian Ocean is the world’s preeminent seaway for trade and commerce. It is also endowed with a wealth of natural resources, which are, as yet, largely untapped. The development of the blue economy in the Indian Ocean region is expected to yield a number of benefits for India. “The development of the blue economy holds immense promise for the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).” Underwater Potential Surrounded by the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean, India has a vast coastline and the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone is equivalent to about 67% of the land area of the country. Humankind currently knows about only 5% of the oceans in the world, and most of this knowledge pertains to shallow waters. Deep oceans still remain a mystery to humans, even though our reliance on oceanic ecosystems is very high; since water bodies play an important role in maintaining the weather and climatic conditions that sustain us. Deep waters also provide us with food and energy along with other economic resources. The resources which we currently use from these areas continue to remain in abundance for future generations, and information gathered from analysing blue economy and the underwater domain aim at better management in this regard. “Indian Exclusive Economic Zone is equivalent to about 67% of the land area of the country.” The blue economy, as defined by the World Bank, is the sustainable utilisation of resources from water bodies resulting in economic growth, the health of fresh and marine water ecosystems, as well as improved jobs and livelihoods. Indian Exclusive Economic Zone Considering the strategic importance of oceans, the United Nations (UN) has allocated a total global Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of ≈137 million sq. km., including ≈12 million sq. km to France, 11.3 million sq. km, to the United States, 8.5 million sq. km. to Australia and 2.3 million sq. km. to India. With the blue economies of the United States, China and the European Union estimated to be worth ≈US$ 1.5 trillion, ≈US$ 0.1 trillion, and ≈US$ 0.5 trillion, respectively, it is expected that the blue economy could significantly contribute to India’s vision of becoming a US$ 10 trillion economy by 2030. “The United Nations (UN) has allocated a total global Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of ≈137 million sq. km., including 2.3 million sq. km. to India.” Figure-1 Ports in India handle almost 95% of international trade by volume and 70% by value Exquisite Minerals and General Materials in Underwater Region Development of the coastal and offshore mineral resources is essential for industrial and economic growth. The coastal placer minerals, such as ilmenite, magnetite, and zircon, are extensively available on the coasts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Maharashtra, and near shore waters. “Development of the coastal and offshore mineral resources is essential for industrial and economic growth.” Deep blue mineral resources include seafloor polymetallic sulphides around the hydro-thermal vents, cobalt-rich crusts on the seamounts and the polymetallic manganese nodules on the abyssal plains. The polymetallic nodules comprise of manganese, nickel, copper, cobalt, molybdenum, rare earth metals, and traces of elements of commercial interest, including platinum and tellurium. Seafloor sulphides are rich in copper, gold, zinc, lead, barium, and silver. The cobalt-rich crusts contain manganese, iron and a wide array of trace metals including cobalt, copper, nickel, and platinum. About 247, 1.82, 10.47 and 9.5 million tons of manganese, cobalt, nickel and copper, respectively, are located in water depths ranging from 5000 m to 6000 m as polymetallic nodules in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB), hydrothermal sulphides in the southern Indian Ocean, and cobalt crusts in the Afanacy Nikitin seamount area. Blue Hydrocarbons About 26 sedimentary basins in India, covering about 3.14 million sq. km., host 28 billion tons of conventional hydrocarbons. About 67% of these resources are located offshore. The Mumbai High Field hosts about 9.2 BT, the 1.3 million sq. km. sedimentary basin along the east and west coasts of India, from 400 m water depth up to the EEZ, hosts about 7 BT, while the rest of the resources are concentrated in the Krishna-Godavari (KG), Cauvery and Kerala-Konkan basins. Hydrocarbon production in the KG basin accounts for ≈40% of India’s in-house production. In order to foster natural gas production from deep waters, wells have been established in the KG basin at 2,483 meter water depths. For effective exploitation of the ultra-deep waters, the Indian government plans to invest about US$10 billion in deep water projects in the KG basin. About 1,684 TCM (Thousand Cubic Metres) of methane gas has been identified to be sequestrated as gas hydrates in the continental settings of 100-300 m below the sea floor at water depths ranging between 800-3000 m. “For effective exploitation of the ultra-deep waters, the Indian government plans to invest about US$10 billion in deep water projects in the KG basin.” Security Consideration “The loss of biodiversity due to blue economy activities will be inevitable and permanent on a human scale and deep-sea exploration and extraction will play a role in the move to a net-zero future, and how it is regulated and defined will be crucial.” So far, there have been several cases of exotic deep sea biodiversity washing up dead on shores, bringing with them a slew of plastic waste. However, the exact extent to which such waste affects the oceans is not yet known. While attempts are being made by governments world over to stop such littering, focused research can put into perspective the harmful effects current practices have on marine ecosystems, and help to usher in a change in human habits. We’re only beginning to scratch the surface of what’s down

Blue Economy

Enhancing Livelihood for our Coastal Communities

admin
February 17, 2022
0 Comments

Enhancing Livelihood for our Coastal Communities Dr (Cdr) Arnab Das offers a new perspective based on the Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) Framework The new India we are witnessing today is aspirational and the young generation is looking for new avenues to build their future. While the maritime push by the government does provide multiple new opportunities, a more nuanced approach is required to comprehensively ensure sustainable and equitable growth for all in the region. We do need a master plan to strategically manage the resources and assets available to us. The coastal communities have a major stake in the maritime domain on all accounts including political, socio-economic and culturally. Making them part of the plan is extremely critical to evolve a more mature governance structure for the future. “It is important that we use all the possible Science & Technology (S&T) means to enhance our Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) for effective maritime governance.” With a coastline of over 7,500 km, India has much to cheer about; however, in the case of failure of effective maritime governance, this could become a cause of concern as well. The tropical littoral conditions in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) further add to our challenges and opportunities and it is important that we use all the possible Science & Technology (S&T) means to enhance our Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) for effective maritime governance. The underwater component of the MDA becomes even more critical as the traditional means fail to generate enough domain awareness. The vast undersea resources can be effectively explored and exploited only with effective Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA). The extensive coastline and large Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) presents its own challenges in terms of security and sustainable growth. Ensuring maritime governance in the absence of UDA is a non-starter. The pink area in Figure 1 depicts the tropical littoral region across the globe. “The vast undersea resources can be effectively explored and exploited only with effective Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA).” Figure-1 Tropical Littoral Waters Globally The tropical littoral waters of the IOR provide extremely rich bio-diversity that can provide unimaginable value in enhancing the livelihood opportunities for the coastal communities. Mechanical trawls with high capacity boats are ensuring high reach for corporate entities involved in fishing; however, in the absence of mature regulatory provisions, such activities could have an adverse impact on the local ecosystems. The traditional fishing ways that had evolved over a long period of time are well aligned to sustainable growth, but such means are not scalable. Effective UDA along with a little S&T hand holding for our coastal communities, backed with sound policy framework and monitoring mechanisms can do wonders. “The lack of serious indigenous efforts and complete reliance on import of sonars for underwater surveys has been a complete disaster which is a serious limitation in our UDA initiative and given the socio-economic challenges it is difficult to prioritise S&T to overcome these challenges.” It may be important to mention that the tropical littoral waters of the IOR also present substantial technological challenges in terms of sub-optimal sonar performance. The lack of serious indigenous efforts and complete reliance on import of sonars for underwater surveys has been a complete disaster. The degradation of sonar performance is of the order of 60%; this indicates that a survey in the IOR will require four times as much asset deployment as required in a temperate or polar region. This is a serious limitation in our UDA initiative and given the socio-economic challenges it is difficult to prioritise S&T to overcome these challenges. According to a credible study, the global fish stock is on the decline since 1997; however, due to trawling and lack of regulatory provisions, the by-catch in most parts of the world is of the order of 80%. It is quite obvious that we are wasting a precious resource that is on the decline. There is an urgent need to put in place effective regulatory provisions with sound UDA to enhance maritime governance. The UDA framework proposed by the Maritime Research Centre (MRC), Pune is a comprehensive mechanism to encourage pooling of resources and synergizing of efforts across stakeholders including maritime security, blue economy, marine environmental regulators and disaster management authorities and science & technology providers. It talks about enhancing our acoustic capacity and capability building to address the UDA requirement on all the three counts – policy, technology & innovation, and human resource development. The indigenous efforts to manage the challenges and opportunities of the tropical littoral waters of the IOR require massive field experimental R&D initiatives. These are highly resource intensive and cannot be supported by any one stakeholder. Emerging technologies like acoustic sensors, underwater robotics and signal processing along with a sound data science infrastructure can potentially facilitate enhanced UDA; however, it requires political will to allow long term focus and sustained support. User-Academia-Industry partnership is the only way forward. The traditional knowledge of our coastal communities needs to be mapped with emerging S&T tools to make their endeavours scalable and build a regulatory framework to effectively manage sustainable growth for all in the IOR. It could also facilitate a leadership role for India in the region, in line with the SAGAR vision of the Honourable Prime Minister. “Emerging technologies like acoustic sensors, underwater robotics and signal processing along with a sound data science infrastructure can potentially facilitate enhanced UDA” A conceptual framework constituting the foundation for developing a national UDA policy is represented in Figure 2. The underlying requirement for all the stakeholders is to know the developments in the undersea domain, make sense of these developments, and then respond effectively and efficiently to them before they can pose any challenge. Figure-2 The UDA Framework as proposed by MRC, Pune The UDA needs to be understood on a comprehensive scale in its horizontal and vertical construct. The horizontal construct would be the resource availability in terms of technology, infrastructure, capability and capacity specific to the stakeholders. Although the stakeholders represented by the four faces of the cube will

Underwater Heritage

Beneath the Blue: Underwater Archaeology in India

admin
February 17, 2022
0 Comments

Key Highlights Underwater Archaeology and maritime studies in India are underrated and have the potential to unleash the untapped potential Indian maritime history began during the 3rd millennium BCE when inhabitants of the Indus Valley initiated maritime trading contact with Mesopotamia While the era of maritime trade in India was a blessing, it was soon doomed by superstitions The fishermen communities and the other lower castes went about their seafaring business and paid no heed to the Kala Pani hoax The decline in the maritime culture was the beginning of an era when India’s economic growth and cultural riches were overtaken by European powers In India, Underwater Archaeology is yet to take shape in a comprehensive manner. Beneath the Blue: Underwater Archaeology in India Underwater Archaeology and maritime studies in India are underrated and have the potential to unleash untapped potential in terms of heritage studies and the policy formation around them. Archaeology often reminds us of great ancient civilizations. It is the supporting arm of history and in the absence of written records fills the gaps in the timeline that reveals our past. India has a long timeline of historical events and an abundance of archaeological sites, monumental ruins, historical records and submerged shipwrecks and sites that help reconstruct the lives of people who lived thousands of years ago. A sub-discipline of Archaeology is Maritime or Marine Archaeology, which deals with the maritime history of any country. It includes underwater research as well as the discovery and study of shipwrecks, sites along the coast, and trade routes that led the once thriving sea trade in India. Proficient seafarers, ancient Indians were known to utilize the potential of a vast coastline of 7500 km. “Indian maritime history began during the 3rd millennium BCE when inhabitants of the Indus Valley initiated maritime trading contact with Mesopotamia.” Indian maritime history began during the 3rd millennium BCE when inhabitants of the Indus Valley initiated maritime trading contact with Mesopotamia. As trade between India and the Greco-Roman world increased spices became the main exports from India to the Western world, bypassing silk and other commodities. Maritime trade involving spices and other commodities along the Sriwijaya kingdom’s route from the 7th century to around the 12th century turned out to be fertile ground for cross-cultural exchange among its traders. In the classical era, major empires involved in the Indian Ocean trade included the Mauryan Empire in India, the Han Dynasty in China, the Achaemenid Empire in Persia, and the Roman Empire in the Mediterranean. Silk from China graced Roman aristocrats, Roman coins mingled in Indian treasuries, and Persian jewels gleamed in Mauryan settings. Religious thought also reached other countries through the classical Indian Ocean trade routes. Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism spread from India to Southeast Asia, through merchants rather than missionaries. Islam would later spread the same way from the 700s CE onwards. Maritime trade can be credited to cultural amalgamation, which can be traced even today in various parts of the world in terms of food, apparel, traditions, beliefs and practices. “While the era of maritime trade in India was a blessing, it was soon doomed by superstitions.” While the era of maritime trade in India was a blessing, it was soon to be doomed by superstitions. ‘Kala Pani’ (Black Ocean) or the proscription against crossing the ocean in the Hindu culture (primarily among the upper castes) originated in ancient India, giving birth to the decline of the seafaring culture. The Muslim elite followed suit and like Hindus, they considered seafaring as an offence. The Tuhfat al Mujahadin, a book of the period, reveals that Allah was upset with them for undervaluing Him and therefore, He had “set on them the people of Purtkal” [Portugal] who were Christians. The offense of crossing the sea is also known as ‘Samudrolanghana’ or ‘Sagarollanghana’ . The Dharma Sutra of Baudhayana lists sea voyages as first of the offences that cause the loss of varna or caste. While religious fervour and the associated penalties and taxation and loss of cultural ethnicity were major deterrents to maritime trade, the growing tension between sea traders and Brahmins or other groups was another reason for the decline. The fallacy of Kala Pani spread among the Hindus and consequently the maritime trade and amalgamation of cultures started to decline except among certain communities in Kerala and Gujarat that insisted on travelling, converting to Islam and forging marital relations with Arabs. It is also interesting to note that the fishermen communities and the other lower castes went about their seafaring business and paid no heed to the Kala Pani hoax. Hinduism failed to flourish as the Hindu priesthood was based on bloodline and castes, and since people could not travel across the sea or take their brides across the sea, the Hindu tradition gradually waned. “The decline in the maritime culture was the beginning of an era when India’s economic growth and cultural riches were overtaken by European powers and subsequently the country was subjugated by the British for close to two centuries.” The Mughals saw the sea as a benign force and did not deem it worthy of royal attention. It was the Marathas who first built a navy. The decline in the maritime culture was the beginning of an era when India’s economic growth and cultural riches were overtaken by European powers and subsequently the country was subjugated by the British for close to two centuries. This period was very crucial for India; the country missed the Industrial Revolution and the modern era of steel ships never took off in the Indian subcontinent. The inability to learn our lessons from history will remain the biggest curse in our nation’s evolution post-Independence. We remained sea blind and continued to ignore the maritime capability and capacity building in our strategic vision till as late as the beginning of the 21st century. The notion of ‘Black Ocean’ has to be replaced by viewing the ocean as blue and shifting our focus to the

Geopolitics and IR

UDA and Indian Diplomacy for Maritime Cooperation

admin
February 17, 2022
0 Comments

UDA and Indian Diplomacy for Maritime Cooperation Ambassador (retired) Yogendra Kumar believes that greater focus on underwater domain awareness can boost the nation’s diplomatic effectiveness Maritime cooperation has emerged, in more recent times, as the centrepiece of India’s diplomacy. The Indo-Pacific region has assumed dimensions of a grand strategy for sustaining a certain power equilibrium in both the Indian and Pacific oceans in all its hard and soft power aspects. With the geopolitical and geo-economic centre of gravity shifting to Asia, its engagements with other powers, including those from outside the region, have a significant maritime character for the same reasons. The maritime domain has a salience in the era of globalisation as global trade is predominantly carried out at sea and an increased international scramble for the enormous, yet inadequately tapped, marine resources is in evidence. Thus, the challenges of creating or sustaining maritime governance mechanisms are the focus of international diplomacy where security of sea lines of communication (SLOCs), balance of power equilibrium, maritime safety, piracy and transnational crime, and good order at sea are considered as critical determinants. “The maritime domain has a salience in the era of globalisation as global trade is predominantly carried out at sea and an increased international scramble for the enormous, yet inadequately tapped, marine resources is in evidence.” No less importance can be ascribed to other challenges. Climate change is pressing enough to negatively affect any type of maritime governance mechanism. This includes ocean warming and the impact of acidification on maritime environment for sustainable use of this space for navigation or exploitation of resources. The growing frequency and intensity of cyclones and storm surges present considerable threat to the viability of the vast coastal communities and economies. These threats aggravate the already fragile economies of island states dependent mostly on a single commodity or service which, in turn, puts pressure on the political systems and governments there. The robustness of any maritime governance mechanism cannot be developed unless these ‘non-traditional’ challenges are factored in and consequent stakes of these island and littoral countries secured through such action by these mechanisms. “Maritime domain awareness (MDA) is a critical basis for effective functioning of any maritime mechanism.” Situational awareness not only enhances capacity, its sharing also generates mutual confidence. Maritime domain awareness (MDA) is, thus, a critical basis for effective functioning of any maritime mechanism. Through a wide spectrum MDA most of the above challenges can be tackled in a significant measure. Such MDA capacity can be the result of collective effort of the participating countries as also the national effort of a single country; collective and collaborative effort also enhances the capacity of the countries which require it. This is, therefore, an important contribution to the technological and socio-economic progress of the country concerned. MDA, in its current status, has a missing dimension in underwater domain awareness (UDA) since it is largely confined to situational awareness on the water surface. UDA, having its origin in the Cold War era of superpower confrontation, is now a significant capacity-multiplier due to the dual-use nature of technological revolution in this area. It is adding to better stewardship of marine resources for the much-needed, vital impetus for developing the blue economy sector of the national – and, indeed, global – economy. UDA provides a substantial capability for the monitoring of the manifestations of ocean warming and acidification, including the state of ‘dead zones’ which represent potential climate change ‘tipping points’ from the point of view of food chain, ocean currents, and monsoon patterns. In the strategic and economic perspectives, this is an imperative domain for achieving the state of ‘digital ocean’ through the leveraging of artificial intelligence (AI), communications and robotics, a system of underwater drones powered by sun, wind and waves, advanced sensors, cameras and acoustics for a real-time UDA; this has important bearing on big data, analytics, and regulatory frameworks. Thus, UDA is critical for maritime system stability, technological progress, and high-end and low-end economic cooperation for Indian diplomacy in both the multilateral and bilateral formats. “UDA is critical for maritime system stability, technological progress, and high-end and low-end economic cooperation for Indian diplomacy in both the multilateral and bilateral formats.” UDA is not possible without acoustics and sonar capabilities. The science of underwater sound propagation is an effective way of determining underwater geo-physical features, hydrological characteristics, and the state of marine biodiversity. It provides an early alert capability against security threats from state and non-state actors, environmental disasters such as oil spillage, ecological degradation of living and non-living resources, and the mapping of hydrocarbon/poly-metallic reserves. India’s major articulation was Prime Minister Modi’s SAGAR speech (March 2015) on the Indian Ocean wherein he not only laid emphasis on littoral nations’ cooperation in peace and security but also on strengthening maritime capacities and regional integration based on sustainable development and blue economy. In his keynote speech at the Shangri-La dialogue (June 2018), he spoke of ‘common pursuit of progress and prosperity’ in the entire Indo-Pacific region. At the East Asia Summit (November 2019), he outlined the Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative for safe, secure and stable maritime domain: its seven pillars comprise maritime security, maritime ecology, maritime resources, capacity building and resource sharing for disaster risk reduction and management, S&T and academic cooperation, and trade, connectivity and maritime transport. The Prime Minister launched the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure at the UN Climate Action Summit (September 2019). These specific Indian initiatives complement the programmes related to maritime security, disaster response, and economy by multilateral organisations like Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) in which India plays a prominent role. India also has robust maritime cooperation programmes with several littoral countries in the Indian Ocean and in Southeast and East Asia. Different Indian ministries and agencies participate in a very large number of maritime and marine science cooperation programmes with other countries and organisations. The scope of cooperation is virtually inexhaustible, and Indian diplomacy can

Science and Technology

Role of technology in National Security

admin
February 17, 2022
0 Comments

Role of Technology in National Security PM Heblikar outlines the critical need for institutions like MRC to equip the country to face the challenges of the future. National security in India can no longer be seen in its narrow military terms. There are more players in this space than before; this is a healthy and positive development for India, which is set on a course to become a five trillion-dollar economy by 2025. Two developments in 2020 – the corona-virus pandemic, and China’s abortive attempts to unilaterally change the status quo on the Indo-Tibet border – have exposed the fault lines in India’s management of national security and political governance. “The corona-virus pandemic, and China’s abortive attempts to unilaterally change the status quo on the Indo-Tibet border – have exposed the fault lines in India’s management of national security and political governance.” It is true India does not have a national security doctrine as yet. Since 1947 there had not been a comprehensive and pro-active review of national security management and development of a totally futuristic policy encompassing all aspects of the subject. The Kargil Review Committee Report (KRC), set up following the Kargil war with Pakistan in 1999, was the first major document, involving participation of India’s top political brass, on the subject. India had conducted four in-house reviews prior to the KRC, one involved China (1962), one was terrorism-related (26/11), and the rest Pakistan centric (1965, 1971 and 1999). There were other periodic reviews including the Naresh Chandra Task Force. A study of these reports as available in the public domain reveals two major challenges. Firstly, that our institutions of governance, both domestic and foreign policy, are based on sector-specific knowledge and management systems and they are unable to collaborate to deliver multi-disciplinary and multi-sector responses to national and international developments. Secondly, there is no salience across the spectrum to deliver responses without wasting scarce financial resources for maximum or best results. The ‘silo’ system dominates our systems of management even today and therefore needs to be addressed. The pandemic has resulted in sharp accretion of subjects like pharmaceuticals, health and medical care, water, climate, environment, energy, IT & ICT, supply chain, transportation, and technology to the traditional security platform. National security has to be inculcated into our educational system at the level of high schools, universities, both public and private, and higher institutions of public education including the institutes of technology and management. State governments and Union Territories also need to focus on this aspect. Greater participation of the corporate sector and industry in building comprehensive national strength needs to be underlined and must become a part of the ethos. The government is not the only promoter of this strategy; it is also the responsibility of others, directly or indirectly. “Greater participation of the corporate sector and industry in building comprehensive national strength needs to be underlined and must become a part of the ethos.” Coastal security like cyber security is an important subtext of the national security management of India. The subject of cyber security has become organized under the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), with a former three-star General of the Army as head of the cyber security wing. Likewise, it is expected that the maritime administration and advisory functions will similarly be unified under the NSCS. It will be a great force multiplier and game changer. Such an arrangement will augur well for all aspects of maritime safety, security, maritime technology and perhaps even become a facilitator of private –public synergy. Once this happens, it will become a precursor for a new era for not only national but also regional cooperation. “Institutions such as the Maritime Research Centre (MRC) are potential drivers of a national security eco-system.” Institutions such as the Maritime Research Centre (MRC) are potential drivers of a national security eco-system. I must congratulate its management on embarking on projects of national interest and of long term consequences. It has many takeaways, including the creation of a strong base for research and development in Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) as an example of public-private partnership (PPP). The other is providing a road map for subject specific education, creating maritime awareness among government and private stakeholders, and research and development that will lead to skills development and capacity building. When the First National Cyber Security Policy was unveiled in 2013, it set the parameters and recommended the creation of 500,000 ‘cyber foot soldiers’ for the country. The Second Version of the National Cyber Security Policy has been approved by the Government and is due to be formally announced. Some of its features were outlined by Lt. Gen. Rajesh Pant, National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) in October 2020 at a webinar hosted by three think-tanks, entitled ‘Deciphering China – Cyber security and India’s response’. On February 02, 2021, Gen. Pant delivered the key note speech at the inaugural ceremony of the Singapore based Indo-Pacific Centre, where he was joined by his counterparts from Singapore, Japan and the USA. It was an education to listen him and also the manner in which a senior public servant articulated an important subject with lucidity and ease. This should be an object lesson for civil and military officials to share public platforms on subjects of national interest. Such webinars reflect a new and positive trend, which is important to reassure the public. The ‘Deciphering China’ webinar series, held over two days, brought together professionals, experts, technocrats and others on the maritime context. Such an assemblage on a single platform was unprecedented especially on subjects that have been on discussed publicly. MRC was represented by Cdr. Arnab Das at this webinar. “To achieve its ambitions of becoming a five trillion-dollar economy by 2025, India needs to create more professionals in the fields of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IOT), Block Chain Technology (BCT) and Machine Learning (ML).” To achieve its ambitions of becoming a five trillion-dollar economy by 2025, India needs to create more professionals in the fields

Blue Economy Science and Technology

Water Resource Management – A UDA Perspective

admin
February 17, 2022
0 Comments

Water Resource Management: A UDA Persepective Water is the basic unit of life on Earth. As water touches every aspect of human life such as survival, health, sanitation, agriculture, food, manufacturing, construction, and leisure, management of water resources is of critical importance to humankind. These resources are also becoming scarce due to ongoing climate change and the unprecedented situations in nature that we have never encountered before. As a result, alternative management strategies are sought in order to avoid contamination, pollution, drought, scarcity and setbacks in the management of water resources. This is called Water Resource Management (WRM). WRM activity focuses on exploring, researching, planning, developing and distributing the available water resources. Its key focus areas are: Optimization of total water resource usage. Preservation and expansion of the existing water sources. “Water Resource managmenet (WRM) activity focuses on exploring, researching, planning, developing and distributing the available water resources.” In the context of the Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) Framework, WRM focuses on : Maintaining adequate quality and quantity of ground water for drinking, sanitation, food production and inland water transport. Protecting the ecosystem of lakes, rivers and oceans. Managing water-related risks such as tsunamis, floods, drought, pollution and contamination. Leveraging sustainable use of significant submerged cultural and biological resources. Focus Areas in Underwater Resource Management 1. Recharging the ground water: “Groundwater recharge is a hydrological process studied in the context of agricultural improvements and groundwater problems.” Groundwater recharge is a hydrological process, where water moves downward from surface water to groundwater. Recharge is the primary method through which water enters an aquifer. Groundwater recharge originates as infiltration at the land surface or beneath a surface water body or water that is temporarily ponded on the land surface. Recharge occurs both naturally and through artificial groundwater recharge. The recharge process is studied in the context of agricultural improvements and groundwater problems. 2. Recharging the ground water: “Reservoir sedimentation is a serious global problem and has severe consequences for overall water management and flood control.” Reservoir sedimentation is the gradual accumulation of the incoming sediment load from water resources such as rivers. This accumulation is a serious global problem and has severe consequences for overall water management and flood control. The worldwide loss in reservoir storage capacity is reported to be between 0.5% and 1.0% per annum This gradual process of sedimentation eventually fills a reservoir within 50–200 years.The principal causes are anthropogenic activities such as deforestation, and overgrazing. Sediments are classified on the basis of their origin into four types: Lithogenous: Sediments come from land via rivers, ice, wind and other processes. Hydrogenous: Sediments come from chemical reactions in the water. Biogenous: Sediments coming from organisms like plankton when their skeletons break down. Cosmogenous: Sediments coming from space, filtering in through the atmosphere or carried to Earth on meteorites. The sedimentation process is used to reduce this particle concentration in the water. Improved sedimentation also controls the need for additional chemicals. Sedimentation is accomplished by decreasing the velocity of the water to a point at which the particles will no longer remain in suspension and gravity will remove them from the water flow. Sedimentation is carried out by watershed management, sluicing, diverting floods, flushing, density venting, and dredging. 3.Desiltation: “Desilting is the process of removing fine silt and sediment from the river to restore its natural capacity, without widening or deepening it.” Rainfall, deforestation, structural interventions and enclosure of water in reservoirs increases the rate of siltation in rivers. This reduces the carrying capacity of rivers and results in floods and loss of storage. Desilting is the process of removing fine silt and sediment from the river to restore its natural capacity, without widening or deepening it. Since indiscriminate desilting can cause adverse impacts on a river’s ecology and flow, the following broad precautions have been advised by an Expert Committee set up by the Central Government: Catchment area treatment, appropriate agricultural practices and river bank protection/anti-erosion activities should be carried out. Arrangements should be made to pass the incoming sediment into a river downstream of the dams/ barrage structures to maintain the sediment equilibrium. High intensity dredging should generally be avoided and precautions must be taken to avoid deposition of sediment loads within the river; instead, they should be deposited on other suitable land. Rivers should be provided with a sufficient corridor for meandering 4. Underwater Acoustics: Underwater acousticsis a technique of communicating below water levels, Acoustic surveys are difficult and have low data rates because they use acoustic waves instead of electromagnetic waves. Figure 1 – Underwater Acoustics Communication Acoustical applications are as follows: Fishery applications such as fish population surveys, classification of fish species and other biota and biomass estimation Rain rate measurement Wind speed measurement Wave velocity measurement Water depth measurement Seabed classification Ocean acoustic tomography Monitoring of ocean-atmospheric gas exchanges and gas leaks from the seabed 5. Drought Management Drought is a slow-onset, creeping natural hazard. When rainfall is less than normal for several weeks, months, or years, the flow of streams and rivers declines, and water levels in lakes and reservoirs fall, resulting in drought. Based on type, drought is usually categorized as Meteorological, Hydrological, Agricultural, and Socioeconomic. “The effects of drought accumulate slowly over a considerable period of time and may linger for years, resulting in a myriad of economic, social, and environmental complexities.” The effects of drought accumulate slowly over a considerable period of time and may linger for years, resulting in a myriad of economic, social, and environmental complexities. Given that 16% of India’s total area is drought prone, annually about 50 million people are exposed to drought, and a total of 68% of sown area is subject to drought in varying degrees. If droughts are not managed through effective WRM they could result in direct losses in agricultural and agriculturally related sectors such as forestry and fishing, apart from losses in the recreation, transportation, banking, and energy sectors. Figure-2 Drought Conditions There is a critical requirement to address the Some key

Science and Technology

Potential of Blue Biotechnology and Deep Sea Microbial Ecosystems

admin
February 17, 2022
0 Comments

Potential of Blue Biotechnology and Deep Sea Microbial Ecosystems Blue biotechnology is one of the fastest emerging, high-technology sectors of the Blue Economy. FICCI’s Vision 2025 document on the blue economy proposes boosting the business potential for India together with international partners by optimizing and harnessing ocean resources for economic gains. The blue economy holds the potential to boost and contribute to sustainable use of marine resources for job creation, innovation, and opportunities for knowledge-based ventures. Established research institutes across India, such as National Institute of Oceanography (Goa), and CSMCRI (Bhavnagar), have been working on basic, applied and fundamental marine / blue biotechnology for many decades now. They have done pioneering work in the field of bioprospecting, marine biotechnology, biofilms, biofouling and functional genomics. Extensive work has also been carried out on marine bioactives, intensive seaweed farming, biofuels and polymer production using marine organisms including micro and macroalgae. ICAR’s institutes, like CIBA (Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture) and CIFA (Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture), in association with the Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research have been actively involved in sequencing the transcriptome and genome of the tiger shrimp for its enhanced productivity, and RNA vaccines against shrimp diseases. “Blue biotechnology thus opens up a multitude of avenues in sectors including healthcare, personal care, food and nutrition, molecular biology, genetic engineering, speciality chemicals and marine farming.” Blue biotechnology thus opens up a multitude of avenues in sectors including healthcare, personal care, food and nutrition, molecular biology, genetic engineering, speciality chemicals and marine farming. The Indian Ocean Rim range boasts of one of the finest and richest biodiversity resources, from mangrove forests, coral reefs, and sea-grass meadows to deep sea microbes, all of which are potentially rich sources for value products and nutritious food. Blue biotechnology plays a critical role in non-invasive utilization of these marine resources that find application in molecular biology, nanotechnology, material sciences and genetically modified organisms, especially fish. The applications of the products of these blue biotechnology industries and R& D also include biopolymers, bio-adhesives, dental bio-materials, tissue regeneration, antifreeze proteins, fluorescent proteins (Fig. 1), etc. Fig 1: Visualizing the location of a drug using GFP A few marine sponges and fish species have been used extensively for drug development for treating cancer, inflammation and infections and a variety of other lifestyle diseases. Our ancient Ayurvedic texts too mention the use of corals and other marine resources like oysters for numerous preparations to treat lifestyle diseases and disorders. “A few marine sponges and fish species have been used extensively for drug development for treating cancer, inflammation and infections and a variety of other lifestyle diseases.” Modern science has studied Tectitethya crypta (Fig. 2), a sponge species, since the 1950s, enabling the development of the first anti-leukaemia drug from two bioactives found in this sponge. These same actives were a part of the breakthrough drug azidothymidine (AZT), that was administered for the first time in the 1980s to HIV patients. Fig. 2: Use of sponges in medicine PCR /Polymerase Chain Reaction (Fig. 3) was a biotech buzzword during the 2020 COVID_19 pandemic. A significant contribution of blue biotechnology has been Taqpolymerase, an enzyme obtained from the thermophilic bacterium Thermusaquaticus, which is at the heart of this invitro reaction. Fig. 3: Understanding the Polymerase Chain Reaction This thermophilic, i.e., high temperature tolerant DNA polymerase, made the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR – the fundamental reaction in molecular biology that enables amplification of specific DNA sequences) easy to perform. This hugely impacted not only molecular diagnostics but also the progression pillars of personalized medicine including gene therapy and rapid genetic testing. One cannot imagine a microbiology laboratory without the use of agar-agar (Fig. 4) and a food industry without the use of a variety of thickeners, stabilizers, coagulating, and gelling agents; these can also be traced back to marine origins. Fig. 4: Agar-agar powder and agar plates used for microbial cultivation With antibiotics losing their efficacy and the rise in antibiotic resistance there has been a constant need to discover potential new sources of antibiotics. Prof. Christian Jogler and his team from Friedrich Schiller University in Germany, isolated and successfully cultivated dozens of marine bacteria from the Mediterranean Sea, Baltic Sea, Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean. These Planctomycetes, marine bacteria, produced novel antibiotic substances to fight other bacteria. A wealth of similar other bioactives from marine fungi and marine bacteria, such as alkaloids,polyketides, proteins and peptides, lipids, mycosporine-like amino acids, isoprenoids, etc. have found potential in cosmeceutical formulations (Fig. 5) due to their photo-protective, anti-aging, anti-microbial, anti-oxidant and hydratingproperties. Such marine bioactives are known to have specific chemical structures and hence activities up to two orders of magnitudes higher than those reported in similar terrestrial inhabitants. With the global cosmetic and cosmeceutical market forecasted to grow to a value of $430 billion by 2022 (https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com), natural products from marine organisms seem to be an abundant resource at our disposition “A wealth of bioactives from marine fungi and marine bacteria, such as alkaloids,polyketides, proteins and peptides, lipids, mycosporine-like amino acids, isoprenoids, etc. have found potential in cosmeceutical formulations.” Fig. 5: Rejuvenating algal undereye masks Deep sea microbial ecosystems too are vital components of the oceans, especially those in the deep-sea muds. They are known to play a crucial role in metal remineralization. Not much is known about the function of the diverse microbial communities especially in the rare earth element-rich muds in the central Indian Ocean. Their study is thus of prime importance to enhance our understanding of the microbes’ biochemical potential, enabling the formation of rare earth minerals. Deep sea microbial ecosystems are known to play a crucial role in metal remineralization. Lanthanides (atomic numbers 57–71), Scandium (atomic number 21) and Yttrium (atomic number 39) in the periodic table comprise the rare earth elements (REY-Fig. 6). Fig. 6: Rare earth elements in the periodic table Due to their atomic structure and chemical properties, REY, in combination with other elements, can be used to produce various advanced materials that find

ESG and Climate Risk Science and Technology

How Acoustic Habitat Degradation Affects Auditory Perception of Divers in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR)

Jay Pinjarkar
February 17, 2022
0 Comments

How Acoustic Habitat Degradation Affects Auditory Perception of Divers in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) The sounds of the ocean are often used to characterize the uniqueness of the underwater ecosystem. However, the increasing levels of acoustic degradation, especially in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), are slowly affecting the charm of the majestic marine biodiversity and causing disturbances to different aspects of the undersea world. The growing interest in the maritime industry has resulted in an increase in the anthropogenic activities in the IOR. The most significant repercussion of these activities has been the exponential growth in underwater ambient noise levels. Sound is defined as a vibration and when vibrations cause a change in the ambient pressure, a sound pressure is generated. Noise is expressed as Sound Pressure Level (SPL) measured in decibels (dB). The term ‘ambient noise’ is widely used to refer to the cumulative noise present in a water body, caused by known as well as unknown independent sources of sound. “The increasing levels of acoustic degradation, especially in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), are slowly affecting the charm of the majestic marine biodiversity and causing disturbances to different aspects of the undersea world.” Underwater noise is often the outcome of various actions such as construction, drilling, maintenance work of underwater structures, explosions, use of sonars, movement of different vessels and many more occupational as well as recreational activities. Sound signals are also often used for underwater research purposes. All these sources of noise have their individual sound pressure levels, directionality and frequencies at which they peak. A broadband noise spectrum is often required to showcase the aggregate noise levels in a region. Table 1 showcases some of the most common sources of underwater noise. Underwater noise is often the outcome of various actions such as construction, drilling, maintenance work of underwater structures, explosions, use of sonars, movement of different vessels and many more occupational as well as recreational activities. Sound signals are also often used for underwater research purposes. All these sources of noise have their individual sound pressure levels, directionality and frequencies at which they peak. A broadband noise spectrum is often required to showcase the aggregate noise levels in a region. Table 1 showcases some of the most common sources of underwater noise. Evidence suggests that underwater noise displays an exponential trend every year. The impact of this rising acoustic degradation on marine mammals has been widely studied and several repercussions to mammalian behaviour and health have been determined. Correspondingly, underwater noise pollution also exerts an influence on humans. Diving, recreational and commercial, is a common activity in the marine industry, characterized as the immersion of body into water either partially or completely. It is a popular sport amongst tourists and an integral part of material sourcing, underwater equipment maintenance, marine research, and naval activities. While the numerous biohazards of diving into contaminated waters are often discussed, the effects of underwater acoustic degradation and auditory deterioration often remain unacknowledged. “While the numerous biohazards of diving into contaminated waters are often discussed, the effects of underwater acoustic degradation and auditory deterioration often remain unacknowledged.” Figure-1 Role of headgears in exposure to noise [ref: Google images] Human ears can detect sounds in the frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz; however, sound conducts differently in air and water. The exact mechanism of human hearing underwater is debatable; however, a common assumption is that at high frequencies, bone conduction (propagation of sound to the inner ear via bones of the skull) is significant while at low frequencies tympanic conduction (propagation of sound via the outer and middle ear to the inner ear) kicks in. A diver’s headgear also contributes to underwater sound perception. An essential part of the specialized body suits necessary for diving, headgear is generally classified into helmets and hoods. Quite a few divers also dive bare-headed, as indicated in Figure 1. Headgear provides minimal attenuation from ambient noise but plays a greater role in determining the medium of sound propagation to the ears. Since helmets are enclosed structures in which the ears are surrounded by air, noise exposure would be perceived the same way as it would be on land, i.e., in air. On the other hand, hoods are made of breathable material, usually neoprene, and allow for water to be in contact with the ear. The presence of water in the ear canal changes the sensitivity of the ears which alters the mechanism of sound perception. Knowing whether sound perception occurs via conduction through air or water is integral to establishing the extent of hazards to divers. “The biological effects of noise on divers depends on the amount of exposure to noise and its frequency bandwidth.” Overall, the biological effects of noise on divers depends on the amount of exposure to noise and its frequency bandwidth. Generally, physiological effects range from annoyance, temporary dizziness, and disorientation to temporary or permanent hearing loss; in scenarios of severe exposure, divers are at risk of mechanical injuries to various parts of the ear. Several of the possible effects are harmless, in theory, but may cause panic and anxiety in divers, hampering their ability to handle such occurrences. In such cases, diving missions are generally aborted; this can be detrimental to occupational diving operations. Figure 2 summarizes the known effects of severe noise exposure and their subsequent impact on diver performance. While several global standards define acceptable levels of occupational noise exposure, these legislations only take into account airborne sound perception. Many countries provide guidelines on safe diving practices but don’t recognize the potential underwater noise hazards. Under various occupational health & safety categories, numerous countries elaborate on the standards to be maintained in terms of the equipment required and procedures to be followed during diving activities. The presence of medical personnel and pre-diving medical examinations are also mandated, and in some cases post-diving check-ups are conducted. Divers are required to provide details of pre-existing medical conditions. On completion of a dive, they are expected to report any

Blue Economy

Blue Economy – Marine Environmental Protection

admin
February 17, 2022
0 Comments

Heading The Blue Economy, through sustainable use of oceans, has great potential for boosting economic growth by providing opportunities for generating income and jobs through new resources for energy, new drugs, valuable chemicals, protein food, deep sea minerals, etc. In short, it is the next sunrise sector. The present government’s initiative towards a Blue Economy was highlighted in the 2nd edition of the Maritime India Virtual Summit 2021 held on 2nd March 2021, which received enormous response from all stakeholders of the industry, and foreign dignitaries. One of the three components of the newly launched project called SAGARMANTHAN – MMDAC (Mercantile Marine Domain Awareness Centre) is Marine Environment Protection. The marine environment can be viewed as a pathway towards sustainable development that will support the pillars of the economy — coastal tourism and fisheries. “The marine environment can be viewed as a pathway towards sustainable development that will support the pillars of the economy — coastal tourism and fisheries” The first tanker accident at sea took place in 1967 when the ‘Torrey Canyon’ fell at Cornwall in England. This incident attracted worldwide attention on the risks of oil transportation. In 1973, IMO (International Maritime Organisation), under its International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), implemented stringent regulations. It described the procedure to monitor and control marine pollution through oil, air, sewage, garbage, noxious liquid cargo, etc. In March 1989, the Exxon Valdez Oil spill released millions of gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound, Alaska. It was the worst environmental disaster in the history of Alaska and occurred in a very sensitive coastal ecosystem, thus magnifying the damage. The spill immediately resulted in the death of the wildlife causing significant reductions in tourism, recreational fishing and commercial fishing. Long-term direct effects of the spill included lingering oil with associated negative impacts on the ecosystem. Some marine animal populations have still not recovered to pre-spill levels. The entire maritime industry was shaken and thereafter the MARPOL conventions were implemented with further stringent regulations laid out for merchant vessels and/or owners all over the world. The main reasons for oil spills from merchant ships around the world are grounding of vessels, collisions, continued use of old ships that break apart at sea, and fire. After the Exxon Valdez incident, various annexes were introduced; today there are six annexes encompassing the pollution aspect in the Maritime Industry. LNG, Hydrogen, Solar Energy and Wind Turbines are prospective sources of energy to run ships in future in a bid to minimise pollution and help control climate change. “The main reasons for oil spills from merchant ships around the world are grounding of vessels, collisions, continued use of old ships that break apart at sea, and fire” Many costal countries export crude oil to other countries and the traffic is borne by the Indian Ocean. Due to the heavy transportation in this area, oil spill accidents are regular; statistics reveal approximately 40% of the total world oil spills take place in the Indian Ocean. Oil pollution is a thus a chronic problem in the Indian marine sector. India is playing a leading role in monitoring marine pollution in the Indian Ocean through its department of Ocean Development and The National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) headquartered at Dona Paula, Goa. India had started monitoring marine pollution in the 1970s through the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), working under NIO. The INS Darshak was used to investigate historically significant shipwrecks in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. The open ocean research was further boosted following the commissioning of CSIRNIO’s first research vessel, Gaveshani, which was acquired in 1976. More than 500 million tonnes of oil transits through the Indian coastline annually and more than 200 million tonnes of oil are imported by India. The threat of oil spill pollution in the Indian Ocean is continuously rising as indicated by the incidents in the South of Sri Lanka in September 2020, and at Ennore, Chennai on 28th January 2017. These incidents are clear warnings to make our system more effective so that oil pollution in the Indian Ocean can be minimised. The Indian Coast Guard plays a vital role in this pollution response plan, maintaining stockpiles of equipment at its pollution response centres at Mumbai, Chennai, Port Blair and Vadinar. It has also assigned two vessels to handle oil spill emergencies. Each Coast station is additionally equipped with stocks of oil dispersant. While all oil pollution regulations are strictly followed at sea, the coastal areas are always neglected because of poor awareness among fishermen. The coastal waters, which include rivers, waterways, harbour and beach areas, pose a danger to the environment. This is largely due to garbage dumped by locals and factories spewing chemicals into rivers. Excess nutrients from untreated sewage, agricultural runoff and marine debris such as plastics also constitute marine pollution. Coastal traffic, including, coastal vessels, fishing vessels/trawlers, barges and tug boats, contributes to pollution in the form of oil, untreated water, sewage and fishing nets. The chemical waste in urban areas is harmful to important marine species and needs to be controlled. Plastic, which is extremely difficult to dispose off, is one of the most crucial factors affecting the environment negatively. Plastic also affects sea creatures and on a larger scale damages the ecosystem. The following images showcase how sea animals get affected by fishing nets and plastic. “While all oil pollution regulations are strictly followed at sea, the coastal areas are always neglected because of poor awareness among fishermen” The above pictures are of beaches along the Indian coast, one near urban areas and the other located at a remote place and controlled by private entities. Another aspect which enhances the pollution is the ship breaking business. In addition to taking a huge toll on the health of workers, ship breaking is a highly polluting industry. Large amounts of carcinogens and toxic substances (PCB, PVC, PAH, TBT, mercury, lead, isocyanates, sulphuric acid) not only intoxicate the