Nearly 43% of Tamil Nadu’s coastline eroded between 1990 and 2018, according to satellite mapping by the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), a Ministry of Earth Sciences office that works out of the NIOT campus at Pallikaranai. That figure, 422.94 km of a 991.47 km coast, is the one officials cite whenever groynes, seawalls or beach nourishment are debated.
NCCR is less well known than its neighbour NIOT, but its work feeds directly into decisions about Chennai’s beaches, its flood warnings and the water quality off Marina and Elliot’s. This guide covers what the centre measures, where its numbers come from and how residents can use them.
From a World Bank project to a national centre
NCCR began as the ICMAM Project Directorate, set up in Chennai in January 1998 by the then Department of Ocean Development. It ran a five-year capacity-building programme funded by the World Bank through the International Development Association. When that phase ended, the department kept the unit as a long-term research body, and it was later designated the National Centre for Coastal Research, an attached office of MoES.
Its directors since 1998 are listed on the centre’s site; the current Director is Dr R.S. Kankara. The office is on Velachery-Tambaram Main Road, Pallikaranai, Chennai 600100, phone 044-66783599.
The shoreline numbers, state by state
NCCR used multi-spectral satellite images and field surveys to map how the mainland coast changed from 1990 to 2018. A Lok Sabha reply of 3 February 2025 gave the state-wise picture. Nationally, 33.6% of the coast was eroding, 26.8% was building up and 39.6% was stable.
| Tamil Nadu coast, 1990-2018 | Length (km) | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Eroding | 422.94 | 42.7% |
| Stable | 332.69 | 33.6% |
| Accreting | 235.85 | 23.8% |
| Total coastline assessed | 991.47 | 100% |
Only West Bengal (60.5%), Puducherry (56.2%) and Kerala (46.4%) had a higher eroding share than Tamil Nadu. The same reply said maritime states spent ₹2,641.39 crore protecting 227.965 km of coast over ten years, and that under the CRZ Notification 2019 the states plan and build protection works while the Centre advises.
A 2022 PIB release added that NCCR has prepared 526 shoreline change maps at 1:25,000 scale, plus 66 district maps and 10 state and UT maps, and has supported pilot works including an offshore submerged dyke at Kadalur Periya Kuppam on the Tamil Nadu coast. It linked erosion to cyclones, sea-level rise, harbours, sand mining and dams.
Sea water quality and marine litter
NCCR runs the Sea Water Quality Monitoring programme, which began in 1990 as COMAPS. The centre’s water quality page calls it probably the only long-term coastal water quality dataset in India. It also operates a prediction system that gives a five-day coastal water quality forecast for beachgoers and other users, and a buoy data network that reports readings online.
On litter, NCCR prepared a country report on marine litter for India with SACEP, the South Asian regional environment body, and studies microplastics along the coast. It also runs coastal clean-up campaigns, including the Swachh Sagar Surakshit Sagar drive linked from its home page.
Flood warnings built for Chennai
After the 2015 floods, the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser commissioned a coastal flood warning system for the city. IIT Bombay led the project with IIT Madras, IISc Bangalore and Anna University’s Institute of Remote Sensing, and NCCR stitched the pieces into one working system, according to NCCR’s C-FLOWS document.
C-FLOWS was launched on 3 November 2019 by the then Vice President, M. Venkaiah Naidu. It draws on a library of about 796 inundation scenarios covering different rainfall, tide and river-discharge conditions, and models storm surge along with rain. Outputs go to the state through the TN-SMART disaster portal. The centre’s hazards page says an operational coastal flood warning system for other flood-prone coastal cities is now being developed.
What the centre has built since 1998
NCCR’s work over the years has included model coastal management plans, GIS maps of critical habitats, studies of how much waste coastal waters can absorb, guidelines for environmental impact assessment, coastal water use classification, shoreline management plans and storm surge inundation modelling, the About page says. Its research highlights include a study of longshore sediment movement along the Mahabalipuram coast, which matters for every groyne and harbour built south of Chennai.
Looking ahead, the 2025 Lok Sabha reply said maritime states plan protection works on 298.714 km of coastline over five years at an estimated ₹7,218.63 crore. Residents of fishing hamlets from Ennore to Kovalam who face sea erosion can point to NCCR’s published maps when they raise the issue with the state government or the district collector.
Quick answers
Is NCCR the same as NIOT?
No. Both are Ministry of Earth Sciences bodies on the same Pallikaranai campus, but NIOT builds ocean technology while NCCR studies coastal processes, water quality and erosion.
How much of Tamil Nadu’s coast is eroding?
About 42.7%, or 422.94 km, based on NCCR’s 1990-2018 satellite assessment.
Who builds seawalls and groynes?
The state government. NCCR provides scientific and technical advice.
Can I see beach water quality forecasts?
NCCR’s website links to its water quality buoy data and forecast pages.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- About Us (National Centre for Coastal Research, MoES)
- Coastal Water Quality (National Centre for Coastal Research)
- Coastal Processes and Hazards (National Centre for Coastal Research)
- Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 26, Coastal Erosion, 3 February 2025 (Parliament of India)
- Shoreline change assessment, PIB release, 31 March 2022 (Ministry of Earth Sciences)
- Coastal Flood Warning System for Chennai, C-FLOWS (NCCR)
