Coastal areas are home to a significant portion of the world's population, which is mostly concentrated in major cities. In India alone 28.62 million which is almost 25 percent of people living in the state live near the coastal areas. Population and economic development continue to bring pressure on already-strained water supplies, putting coastal aquifers at risk of seawater intrusion. Groundwater salinization has occurred in coastal areas all over the world as a result of intensive groundwater abstraction. Rising sea levels and storm surges as a result of climate change, as well as land subsidence, are expected to escalate the problem in the coming decades. The handling of coastal aquifers includes identifying an appropriate body of salt water and calculating the amount of freshwater discharging in the sea which is needed to maintain the seawater-freshwater interface. Although data are the most important precondition for management, good governance is also essential. Groundwater supplies face some general governance problems due to invisibility of ground water management is a pressing problem due to the increased dependency on it. The paper discusses common governance problems and the remedial measures that can be taken against seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers with great detail along with 4 case studies discussing water management challenges in coastal zones and improved methods of aquifer recharge. Remedial measures using conventional and temporary methods as well as modern methods like hydraulic barriers are also discussed and elaborated.

climate change

seawater intrusion

coastal aquifers

governance

climate change