Several cities including Mumbai, Chennai can go underwater, warns new IPCC report

A new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on climate change has a serious warning for India and several other countries.

The report published on Monday (August 9, 2021) claimed that the coastal areas will see continued sea-level rise throughout the 21st century, contributing to more frequent and severe coastal flooding in low-lying areas and coastal erosion with extreme sea-level events that previously occurred once in 100 years could happen every year by the end of this century.

(File photo: ANI)

With the publication of the report, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has also created a sea level projection tool that makes data on future sea level rise from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change more easily accessible to people around the world.

Using the information from this data, there is a threat that a rising sea level would submerge 12 of the coastal cities in India by the end of this century including Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi and Visakhapatnam, among others.

(File photo: Pixabay)

The glamourous city of India where resides Bollywood and other prominent faces may sink in the water of the Arabian sea by the end of this century. The city may descend nearly two feet down.

Full of artistic work and culture, the city of Chennai is on the verge of drowning in the sea if efforts for sustainable development are not enhanced. According to NASA's sea level projection tool, the city faces a grave danger of sinking 1.87 feet underwater.

(Image credit: Pixabay)

Melting Himalayan glaciers and increasing sea-level threaten the vibrant city of Cochin which may drown 2.32 feet underwater.

(Image credit: Pixabay)

Clean beaches of the coastal city of Andhra Pradesh may submerge 1.77 feet under water if the climate change warning is not taken seriously.

(Image credit: Pixabay)

The other Indian cities that the IPCC report warned of are Bhavnagar (2.70 feet), Mormugao (2.06 feet), Okha 1.96 (feet), Paradip (1.93 feet), Tuticorin (1.9 feet), Kandla (1.87 feet), Mangalore (1.87 feet), Khidirpur (0.49 feet).

If the corrective steps to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, and reduce them rapidly are not taken shortly, then the country will witness more drastic effects of climate change.

This is to be noted that India is one of the most vulnerable countries for climate change and it will witness extreme environmental conditions of heavy rainfall, drought, increased heat waves if it does not manage its GHG emission.

(Image Credit: Pixabay)