Synopsis The International Conference on  "Coastal Hazards", was organised by the Department of Disaster Manangement, SASTRA University, Thanjavur, jointly with the Indian Geological Congress, from February 9/11/2005. It has been maiden event on the theme on "Coastal Hazards" ever held in India. More than 100 participants, including one each from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh attended the programme. The conference was sponsored by 15 government and public and private sectore industries, including DST, DOD and ONGC, in particular.

The conference focussed on man-made coastal & marine pollution, and natural hazards-cyclone, tornado, hurricane, storm, king-tide, tidal surge, sea-wave, sea-erosion, sea-level oscillation, cliff slumping, coastal inundation, sea-water ingression, depletion of coastal aquifers, etc., and aimed at establishing such measures, which could help reduction of occurrences, and minimization of adverse impacts of these hazards, appreciating that any progress of local, regional, national, or glolbal sustainable development, in the larger context, would be a misnomer without having deep insight into the methods of protection, proper risk assessment, and  efficient management.

This special volume on "Coastal Hazards", containing twenty-four papers, is divided into five sections, sequentially arranged on the discussed topics of Tsunamis, Cyclone and Storm Surge, Coastal Erosion and Environment Degradation, Urbanization, and Coastal Ground Water Manangement, and Mitigation of Hazards.