The Bay of Bengal has been at the heart of human civilisation and trade for many centuries. Accordingly, this oceanic space has seen influx of people from around the world including European traders who plundered natural wealth of this region for many years. Unabated exploitation of natural resources has been the primary reason for deterioration of environment of this part of the world. To add to this, supporting a growing population through unsustainable anthropogenic activities for decades is considered a primary cause for deterioration of marine life, habitats, coastal and marine ecosystems and numerous ocean ecosystem services of this oceanic space. Since the health of the oceanic space is critical for survival of life of Earth, a detailed study of the impacts of a growing population on the coastal environment of the Bay is considered important. Unfortunately, since the anthropogenic activities causing this deterioration are numerous, they cannot be covered in one paper. Hence, only a select few critical anthropogenic activities causing coastal erosion, resource degradation, and marine pollution are being analysed here. The study shows that as a result of increasing population, terrestrial activities such as increasing built up area, industries, land use activities, fisheries and aquaculture, and construction of shore protection structures have resulted in reduced coastal vegetation and increased pollution of the ocean. As a result the coastal landscape is witnessing increased coastal erosion, coastal flooding and inundation, loss of vegetation and faunal communities especially fishes. While local initiatives and projects reflect a positive commitment to address resource degradation and to create resilient coastal ecosystems, these efforts need to be transformed into achievements by dedicated and nuanced involvement of all stakeholders, especially the public, for the desired results.

Wooden or bamboo fences, commonly used for coastal protection, have limited effectiveness in reducing wave height due to their porous structure, which provides only moderate wave damping. To address this issue, our study proposes a modification that retains these fences while strategically incorporating submerged rocks, similar to gabions, to exploit friction and achieve significant wave height reduction. We employed a mathematical model based on modified Shallow Water Equations to investigate the wave attenuation. A key measure, the wave transmission coefficient ($K_t$), for quantifying wave height reduction was determined using both analytical and numerical methods. The numerical $K_t$ obtained from simulations was $0.2831$, whereas the analytically computed $K_t$ value was $0.2622$, which indicates a reduction of over 70% in the initial wave amplitude due to the combined effect of submerged rocks and wooden fences. These results, which align closely with experimental data, validate the credibility of our approach. A detailed sensitivity analysis illustrates the effectiveness of both wooden fences and submerged rocks in attenuating wave height, which depends on structure dimensions and friction coefficients. Optimization studies present various optimal structures, underscoring the critical role of the structure’s friction coefficient in minimizing the wave transmission coefficient, and recommend the use of rough materials for optimal wave height reduction. In summary, our paper offers a robust exploration of an innovative coastal protection strategy that integrates wooden fences and rocks. The validated model, supported by analytical, numerical, and experimental evidence, has the potential to provide practical insights for coastal engineers seeking efficient wave attenuation solutions.