Maldives seeks help in coping with rising sea-level

NEW DELHI: With half of its islands eroding at an alarming rate due to rising sea-level caused by global warming, Maldives has sought India's help to save it from being swamped by the ocean.

"The neighbouring island in the Indian ocean has sought our expertise for preparing a Coastal Zone Management Plan to make it flood-resistant," Anil K Gupta, associate professor of National Institute of Disaster Management said.

He said the SAARC disaster management cell (SDMC) for cooperation among the countries in the sub-continent in case of natural calamities was set up by the NIDM, an autonomous body of the Union Home Ministry, post-tsunami.

Amid fears that climate change will wipe out the archipelago nation made up of 1,200 tiny islands, Maldives is the first SAARC country to approach the cell seeking help from India which is known for its expertise and technical as well logistical strength in handling disasters.

Gupta said "NIDM would soon set up an international committee of experts including those from Maldives to look into various aspects of the issue keeping in view the country's strength and weakness in the eventuality of any natural calamity including threats from rising sea levels."

The threat of disappearance looms large over Maldives with the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projecting sea level to rise between 9 and 88 centimetres (3.5 and 35 inches) by the year 2100.

The IPCC report said if the higher end of that scale is reached, the sea could overflow the heavily populated coastlines of countries like Bangladesh while island state of the Maldives might disappear.

Gupta said plans be made after studying and assessing the situation and a suitable plan would be devised to reduce the vulnerability of Maldives.

"Emphasis will be on hands-on approach, besides preventive ones such as artificially elevating the islands where possible," Gupta explained adding that people living in the danger zones are being relocated to safer islands.

Maldives has taken initiatives to fight climate change. It was the first country to sign the Kyoto protocol to fight global warming. Its capital, Male is surrounded by a massive wall.

The wall has reduced the vulnerability of Male, which is a mile long and houses one-third of the country's population, Gupta added.