New Delhi: With rising sea levels, stronger storm surges and more frequent extreme weather events reshaping coastal risks, India is moving to rewrite the engineering rulebook governing one of the most critical components of its port infrastructure.
The Department of Consumer Affairs, through the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), is working on developing India's first dedicated national standard for the planning, design and construction of breakwaters, which are massive offshore structures that protect ports from waves, storm surges and coastal erosion, two people aware of the development said.
The proposed code seeks to establish a uniform engineering framework for designing breakwaters while reducing India's dependence on foreign engineering manuals and consultant-specific practices.
Until now, engineers designing breakwaters for Indian ports have largely relied on internationally accepted references such as the US Army Corps of Engineers' Coastal Engineering Manual, the European Rock Manual developed by the UK’s Construction Industry Research and Information Association, the Netherlands’ Centre for Civil Engineering Research and Codes and France’s Centre d'Études Techniques Maritimes et Fluviales, recommendations issued by the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure, as well as project-specific consultant practices.
“The draft Indian Standard Planning and Design of Ports and Harbours—Code of Practice, Part 6: Breakwater—Planning, Design and Construction [IS 4651 (Part 6)] is under preparation and has been under wide circulation for eliciting public comments,” Abhishek Pal, a scientist in BIS's civil engineering department, said in response to Mint's query.
“The proposed code requires breakwaters to be designed with a minimum service life of at least 50 years while accounting for 100-year return-period storms, storm surges and projected sea-level rise over the next five decades,” one person said. A 100-year return-period storm—or a 100-year storm—is a weather event that has a 1% chance of occurring in any given year.
New design principles
Traditionally, coastal infrastructure was designed using historical records of waves, tides and storms. However, climate change is making those historical patterns less reliable, requiring engineers to factor in projected sea-level rise and more extreme weather over the lifetime of infrastructure.
“The proposed BIS standard is aimed at embedding these climate-resilient design principles into India's breakwater engineering practices,” said the first person.
The move comes as India rapidly expands its maritime infrastructure under flagship initiatives such as Sagarmala and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, alongside the development of greenfield ports, container terminals, LNG facilities and offshore infrastructure.
India currently has 13 major ports and more than 200 non-major ports, with several new port and capacity expansion projects under implementation.
Breakwaters are among the costliest and most strategically important components of port infrastructure. By dissipating wave energy, reducing storm impacts and creating calm harbour waters, they enable safer navigation, berthing and cargo handling while protecting ports from erosion, structural damage and operational disruptions.
“Yet, despite the rapid expansion of India's port sector, the country has so far lacked a standalone engineering standard governing the planning, design and construction of breakwaters,” said the second person.
The code of practice is being developed in coordination with key stakeholders, including public and private port operators, the second person said.
Experts said the proposed code could significantly strengthen the climate resilience of India's port infrastructure by incorporating design parameters such as 100-year return-period storms, storm surges and projected sea-level rise, thereby improving the safety, reliability and operational continuity of ports.
Mumbai Port Authority chairperson Dr. M. Angamuthu told Mint over the phone that the proposed code is flexible enough to address diverse coastal conditions across India.
“It provides guidance on the assessment, rehabilitation and life extension of existing breakwaters; encourages periodic updates to climate parameters; promotes structural health monitoring and life-cycle maintenance and factors in navigation safety, sedimentation, maintenance dredging, constructability and other marine considerations during implementation," said Angamuthu.
The proposed code also aligns Indian engineering practices with evolving global standards followed by major maritime nations.