Kerala has become the first state in India to declare tide flooding along its coast as a state-specific disaster. The state has a 590 km Arabian Sea coast with 9 out of 14 districts located along it. Tidal waves often reach beyond the legal High Tide Line, especially during spring tides, causing severe flooding. Low-lying areas in Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts are hit hardest. Areas like Vypin, Chellanam, Edakochi, and Perumbadappu in Kochi, and Kumbalanghi panchayat experience frequent seawater intrusion, damaging homes and infrastructure. About 10% of Kerala’s population suffers from these floods. Normally, tidal flooding is not declared a disaster under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) rules, making financial help difficult. But under Section 2(d) of the Disaster Management Act, flooding from tidal rise can be treated as a disaster if it causes loss of life and livelihood. Kerala has used this rule to notify coastal high-tide flooding as a disaster. This will allow victims to get financial aid like other natural disaster victims. Officials said poor land use, houses in floodplains, silted rivers, and lower lake depths worsen tidal flooding. Unlike rain floods, tidal floods can happen anytime in the year. During full and new moons, spring tides with extra high water levels combined with strong waves raise the risk of serious coastal erosion and flooding. This new status marks a big step to protect Kerala's coastal communities and infrastructure from tide-related disasters.