Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, M. Ravi Chandran looking at the master plan of the Coastal Research Center after the groundbreaking ceremony at Dolphin Hill, in Visakhapatnam on Saturday. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The National Center for Coastal Research (NCCR) under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) will set up its dedicated Coastal Research Laboratory (CRL) at Visakhapatnam by 2025 at an estimated cost of ₹62 crore.
CRL focuses on issues such as coastal erosion, marine pollution, storm surges, sea level rise, seawater quality testing and mangrove health.
It is the first such center in the country to cater to the East Coast States – West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Union Territories of Puducherry and the West Coast States – Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Union Territories Will happen. Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Andaman Islands.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the CRL was held at Dolphins Nose Hills here on Saturday. The two-storey laboratory will have facilities such as an administrative building, a joint training facility of the India Meteorological Department and NCCR, hostel accommodation, a guest house and 15,000 square meters of storage space.
M. Ravichandran, Secretary, MoES, who participated in the event, said that the CRL is being set up with a view to being recognized as a center of excellence for innovative scientific activities in solving challenges in coastal areas across the country.
The eco-friendly green-field building at Dolphins Nose overlooking the ocean is an ideal place for conducting various research activities as it houses state-of-the-art technology. Mr. Ravichandran said that the location of Dolphins Nose was earlier the radar observatory of IMD.
talking to Hindu On the sidelines of the event, MV Raman Murthy, Director, NCCR from Chennai, said that since the opening of the NCCR Chennai center in 1998, they have delivered around 20 major research reports. “We are also collaborating with our counterparts in Australia, UK, USA and Vietnam on research activities,” he said.
“Our Chennai center is inadequate to accommodate the growing research activities of the growing NCCR staff over the years. Hence, we decided to set up the CRL at MoES’s own site in Visakhapatnam,” said Mr. Murthy.