The Arattupuzha-Alappad coast in Kerala, India—9° 08' N and 76° 28' E—is one of the most severely affected coasts by the December 26, 2004 tsunami. It is a narrow strip of barrier island that is 20 km long and 50m-200m wide with an elevation ranging from 0 m to 1.5m, and separates the Vembanad estuary from the sea. Being very close to the sea and frequently subjected to coastal erosion, the water quality has been a concern in this coastal strip; and especially after the recent tsunami this strip seems to be more vulnerable. In the study, an exercise is undertaken to measure the impact of tsunami on the quality of water in this narrow land. Water quality is assessed by calculaing water quality indices based on select parameters, like pH, temperature, turbidity, DO, BOD, TDS, phosphate, nitrate and faecal coliform, for a period of 8 months up to October 2005 just after the tsunami (December 26, 2004) from 11 sampling stations, mainly dug wells and bore wells of the affected region.

The Arattupuzha-Alappad coast in Kollam district of Kerala in the south-west coast of India, 9° 6' N 76° 28' E, is the region most seriously affected by the tsunami of December 26, 2004, with maximum human and economic loss. The area is a low-lying coastal plane having a barrier island coast with a width of about 50 m to 200 m and elevation varying from 0 m to 1.5 m above MSL, and has deposits of black mineral sands. The tsunami caused overall environmental degradation of the region mainly due to seawater inundation and evaporation in the following months.

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