INCOIS expands coastal flood monitoring to tackle Kallakkadal surges in Kollam

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

14 MAY 2026

• The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), headquartered in Hyderabad, has installed a second Coastal Flood Monitoring System (CFMS) near the Kollam harbour in Kerala to enhance the accuracy of Kallakkadal (swell surge) forecasts along India’s southwest coast.
• Kallakkadal events — sudden and powerful swell surges — pose a significant threat to fishing communities and coastal infrastructure.
•  These surges are typically triggered by long-period swells generated by distant storms in the southern Indian Ocean, nearly 10,000 kilometres from the Indian coastline, said INCOIS Director T.M. Balakrishnan Nair.
• The first observational evidence of such waves in Indian waters was recorded during the initial deployment of the CFMS at Vizhinjam in 2025.
• The system was operated between February and May, covering the pre-monsoon season when these swell surges are most frequent.
• Scientists observed that these swells, with periods ranging from 30 to 300 seconds, can substantially elevate coastal water levels.
• The aim, they said, is to identify patterns in southern ocean swells and refine forecasting models for improved accuracy.
• CFMS integrates a coastal automatic weather station with four high-frequency pressure sensors installed in shallow waters at depths of three to seven metres.
• This configuration enables precise monitoring of nearshore wave transformation processes, providing valuable real-time data.
• Kollam was chosen for the second system due to its frequent exposure to such events.
• INCOIS aims to strengthen coastal resilience and reduce the risks posed by Kallakkadal events.