Kolkata, Sept. 3 -- Kolkata is staring down a rising tide, with the UN warning that the city is among South Asia's low-lying urban centres where millions could lose their homes to permanent inundation. The warning came in a new report by the UN Secretary-General on the growing threat of sea-level rise.
The report said more than 14 million people across the low-lying deltas of South Asia, including Kolkata and Mumbai in India and Dhaka in Bangladesh, face an immediate risk of displacement as sea levels rise.
For Kolkata, the threat goes far beyond displacement; billions of dollars in infrastructure, property and economic activity could be exposed to worsening floods, erosion and waterlogging.
Rising seas also threaten transport, buildings, power, water and sanitation systems, and groundwater resources.
The UN said the combination of rising seas and land subsidence is making flooding more severe in several coastal regions. Saltwater intrusion could also contaminate freshwater sources around vulnerable coastal areas, affecting drinking water, agriculture and ecosystems.
The report noted that global sea levels rose at an average rate of 4.7 mm annually between 2014 and 2023, while the rate reached a record 5.9 mm in 2024, largely because of exceptional ocean warming.
Nearly 770 million people worldwide live in coastal areas less than five metres above the high-tide line, putting them at acute risk.
The UN described sea level rise as a "threat multiplier" and called for early adaptation planning, better data, stronger infrastructure and predictable funding to protect vulnerable communities.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.