The establishment and alteration of any coastal feature is largely dependent upon complex hydrological and geomorphologic processes. Therefore, understanding hazard factors and threat risk level is crucial for mitigating risk in coastal zones. This study examines coastal vulnerability factors and their influence along the Coastal Andhra Pradesh (CAP) region in India. CAP has been exposed to frequent hydrological and meteorological hazards due to variations in the geographical, geological, and bathymetric characteristics. Despite substantial vulnerabilities, the risk to the coastline of Andhra Pradesh has not been rigorously evaluated. The current research systematically reviews the drivers and effects of hazards and vulnerabilities in CAP. Findings indicate that urban cities have a considerably higher risk of cyclones and floods due to their locations on the Bay of Bengal tectonic plate, the topology of this coastal region, and higher population density. The study revealed that the Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI) data along CAP is mostly gathered using low-resolution satellite data and/or field observation surveys. The study further revealed that there are very few existing mitigation strategies developed or discussed within the obtained results. However, more accurate data gathering techniques for coastal vulnerability factors are available such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs): Air-borne and LiDAR sensors, which provide very high resolution data and low-cost accessibility to physically inaccessible places, making them suitable for vulnerability data collection in coastal locations. These findings are useful for stakeholders seeking to reduce or ameliorate the impact of coastal disasters and their impacts on the CAP economy, environment, and population. The study further helps to reduce the existing shortcomings in the assessment techniques used previously.

Global warming has become a major environmental issue faced by the community and carbon emission has identified as the main contributor for it. Therefore, many researchers have paid their attention to the carbon footprint specially on operational carbon reduction and embodied carbon reduction. This research focusses on the development of strategies for embodied carbon reduction in Sri Lankan high-rise buildings. Five expert interviews have been conducted to obtain the opinions on the applicability of the global embodied reduction strategies for Sri Lankan context. Subsequently, case study analysis was carried out for selected four ongoing high-rise buildings to ascertain the carbon reduction strategies practiced in Sri Lanka. It is revealed that, efficient selection and use of low energy and low carbon materials, materials minimization, local sourcing of materials and transportation minimization, efficient construction process, reuse and recycling of carbon intensive materials are suitable strategies for Sri Lankan context.

Purpose: Infrastructure projects play a significant role in community development. Infrastructure consists of many subcategories such as roads, bridges, railways, airports, communication infrastructure and harbors. The expressway is an essential part of modern transportation infrastructure. Due to its span and complexity, expressway construction results in several environmental impacts comparatively higher than typical road construction. In that event, environmental sustainability assessment in expressway construction and determining environmental measures to address those impacts is essential. Therefore, this research intends to investigate the environmental measures applicable to expressway projects in Sri Lanka.Design/methodology/approach: This study involves a comparative analysis of different environmental impacts validated through expert interviews. The data required to perform the analysis were extracted through expert interviews and the Battelle method.Findings: The findings revealed the importance of environmental indicators for expressway projects in Sri Lanka by assigning weightages. The Construction Phase received the highest weightage among three themes indicating that the construction phase causes greater environmental impact in expressway construction. Furthermore, the Site Maintenance Plan and Tree Compensating received the highest weightages under indicators.Originality/value: The study makes an original contribution through the identification of indicators that lead to the improvement of environmental sustainability in expressway projects in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, the use of the Battelle method within the context of measuring environmental sustainability of expressways projects in general — and within the context of Sri Lanka — is a novel research approach.