Coastal Research Laboratory to be established in Visakhapatnam

It will focus on addressing issues such as coastal erosion, marine pollution, storms, sea level rise, seawater quality testing and mangrove health, says official

The National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) will establish its dedicated Coastal Research Laboratory (CRL) in Visakhapatnam at an estimated cost of ₹62 crore by 2025.

The CRL focusses on addressing issues such as coastal erosion, marine pollution, storms, sea level rise, seawater quality testing and mangrove health.

It will be the first such centre in the country to cater to the needs of East Coast States – West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Union Territories of Puducherry and West Coast States – Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Andaman Islands.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Saturday for the CRL at Dolphin’s Nose Hills here. The two-storeyed lab will have facilities like an administrative building, a joint training facility of India Meteorological Department and NCCR, hostel accommodation, a guest house and 15,000 square metres of storage space.

MoES Secretary M. Ravichandran, who took part in the event, said that CRL is being set up in view of being recognised as a Centre of Excellence for new scientific activities in solving the challenges in coastal areas across the country.

The eco-friendly green-field building on Dolphin’s Nose with sea view is an ideal place to conduct various research activities as it has state-of-the-art technology. The site at Dolphin’s Nose was formerly the IMD’s radar observatory, Mr. Ravichandran added.

Speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of the event, NCCR Director M.V. Ramana Murthy from Chennai, said that since opening of the NCCR Chennai Centre in 1998, they have delivered nearly 20 key research reports. “We are also collaborating with our counterparts in Australia, UK, USA and Vietnam on research activities,” he said.