Studies indicate possibility of submarine landslide near K-G basin, says NIO Director

‘The slope is very high and there is a lot of sediment deposition in the area’

There is a possibility of a submarine landslide near the Krishna – Godavari basin as the slope is very high and there is a lot of sediment deposition in the area. There is also a possibility of the coastal assets getting destroyed, says the Director of CSIR – National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) Sunil Kumar Singh.

Prof. Singh was in the city to participate in the inaugural of a two-day CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) workshop on “The role of industries and human activities on coastal ocean processes and geohazards”, here on Monday.

“We are conducting studies on bathymetry and geohazards of the coast. We have been collecting data for nearly two decades and comparing it. If the gravity pull is more, there is a danger of the platform and pipelines getting destroyed. The landslide happening underwater can pose tremendous hazards,” the NIO Director told The Hindu in a chat on the sidelines of the workshop.

“We have identified potential areas, where sand mining can be done without harming the coastline, after conducting studies for several seasons. While sand accretion and erosion is a seasonal process at many places along the coast, there are some areas, where only sand deposition takes place all the time. At such places, the sand can be safely mined. We have done this project for the Government of Goa,” he said.

On the other activities being undertaken by NIO, Prof. Singh said that for the first time methane was seen coming out from the gas hydrate in the K-G basin. If it spreads into the atmosphere, it is a potent greenhouse gas. We have also found in some places the quantity of methane exposure was high and so the aquatic life has adapted to chemosynthesis, he said.

On the undue delay in the execution of the project for construction of an own building of NIO, near Rushikonda, in the city, Prof. Singh attributed it to the delay in permission by CRZ, and escalation of cost by three times. The land was acquired long ago. “The Project Management Consultancy (PMC), which was initially given to BSNL, had to be concluded as BSNL sought a three-fold hike in its cost. A fresh contract will be given soon.”

“The project cost was ₹30 crore in 2016 and the revised estimates will be prepared soon. We hope that the construction work will begin soon,” NIO-Vizag Scientist in Charge G.P.S. Murty, said.