Around 84.6% of coral reefs in Lakshadweep experienced bleaching during 2023-24, the Ministry of Earth Sciences informed (MoES) Lok Sabha on Wednesday. 84.6% reefs were affected. (PTI) Minister of State (MoES) for Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh, in a response to a query raised by BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy, said the Fourth Global Coral Bleaching Event (GCBE4) severely impacted regions such as Lakshadweep. “In India, the Fourth Global Coral Bleaching Event (GCBE4) has impacted regions such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gulf of Mannar, Lakshadweep, and Gulf of Kutch,” Singh said in his response. The minister was responding to a query raised by Rudy on whether GCBE4 affected coral reefs along the country’s coastline, the specific regions experiencing significant bleaching and the causes contributing to this event. Rudy also asked whether the Centre has undertaken any measures to map and monitor regions at risk and data on recent coral cover decline. Also Read | Climate, tourism threaten to bleed out Lakshadweep’s corals The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) said in April that the …