Abstract

The modern world witnessed an increasing trend of mining on the onshore sand deposits, including beaches for extracting minerals. Sand mining in the Alappad coast started in late 1960, which is blessed with titanium ores. Since then, the area becomes eroded by the overexploitation of the marine resource. The present study conducted shoreline change analysis within the 16 km of the coastline between Alappad and Chavara, where mining takes place. The study observed that among the 671 ha coastal area, 85 hectares of land was dug out from the Alappad beach. Whereas, the highest rate of erosion was observed between 2001 and 2012, around 42.81 hector land area eroded. The present study canvassed the horrible change experienced in the study area. The study will give a benchmark to the policymakers who are still between the decisions.