Indian Coastal Plains: Western Coastal Plains

Basics

• The west coast strip extends from the Gulf of Cambay (Gulf of Khambhat) in the north to Cape Comorin (Kanniyakumari).
• It is made up of alluvium brought down by the short streams originating from the Western Ghats.
• These are narrow plains with an average width of about 65 km.
• Mostly submergent coastal plain.
• Good for natural ports like Vizhinjam.
• Western shelf is wider than the eastern, so fishing is mainly flourishing in western coast.
• Less delta formation due to less load carried by western flowing rivers, but the western coast is noted by estuaries of Narmada and Tapi rivers.
• The Kerala coast is famous for lagoons and backwaters, the largest being the backwaters of Vembanad lake.

Division of Western Coastal Plains

1. Gujarat Coast
   • It is a submergent coast in the region of Gulf of Kutch.
   • Formed by the rivers Narmada, Tapi, Mahi and Sabarmati, the plain included the southern part of Gujarat  and coastal areas of the Gulf of Khambhat.
   • The eastern part of this plain is fertile enough to support agriculture, but the greater part near the coast is covered by windblown loess.
   • The Kutch Peninsula was an island surrounded by seas and lagoons.
   • These seas and lagoons were later filled by sediments brought by the Indus River which used to flow through this area. 
   • Lack of rains has turned it into an arid and semi-arid landscape.
   • The region is well known for inland islands along the creeks. For example – Pacham island, Khadir island and Belam island.
2. Konkan Plain
   • The Konkan Plain is to the south of the Gujarat plain and extends from Daman to Goa.
   • Its width ranges from 50 to 80 km.
   • It has some features of marine erosion including cliffs, shoals, reefs and islands in the Arabian Sea.
   • It spreads over Goa and Maharashtra.
   • West flowing rivers Saria and Savitri flow in this region.
   • It is an emergent coast.
   • Major waterfall in the region is the Dudhsagar falls and the major port is Marmagoa port.

3. Malabar Coast

   • It is a stable coast.
   • It is divided into
     1. Karnataka Coastal Plain
        • Extends from Goa to Mangalore.
        • It is a narrow plain with an average width of 30-50 km, the maximum being 70 km near Mangalore.
        • The Sharavati while descending over such a steep slope makes an impressive waterfall known as Gersoppa (Jog) Falls which is 271 m high.
     2. Kerala Coastal Plain
        • Between Mangalore and Kanniyakumari.
        • The existence of lakes, lagoons, backwaters, spits, etc. is a significant characteristic of the Kerala coast.
        • The backwaters, locally known as kayals are the shallow lagoons or inlets of the sea, lying parallel to the coastline.
        • The largest among these is the Vembanad Lake.
        • Kerala coast is famous for below sea level cultivation known as Pokali cultivation.