Delayed start for CRZ regime in State

K.S. Sudhi, Kochi
The Hindu, January 24, 2019

Kerala may have to wait for some time to take advantage of the new Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification for want of an approved Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP).
For the new notification to come into play, coastal States, including Kerala, will have to get their CZMPs prepared under the CRZ, 2011 notification updated in tune with the 2019 notification issued last week. The CZMP, prepared in consultation with various stakeholders, will define the development activities that could be undertaken along the coastal belt. Under normal circumstances, the CZMP shall not be revised in five years.
For Kerala, even the CZMP prepared under the 2011 notification has not been approved and the document is awaiting the nod of the National Coastal Zone Management Authority (NCZMA).
The thus notified CZMP will then have to be revised in tune with the 2019 notification and submitted for the approval of the Ministry. While revising the CZMP, the State will have to repeat the process of public hearing and inviting comments from all stakeholders regarding the changes it intends to make in the document.
It was after a delay of nearly three years that the State succeeded in preparing a CZMP.
Section 6 (1) of the CRZ, 2019 notification specifies that the new CRZ regime will not come into force unless the coastal States revise or update their respective CZMPs.

Norms to continue

It further states that “until and unless the CZMPs is so revised or updated, provisions of this notification shall not apply and the CZMP as per provisions of CRZ Notification, 2011 shall continue to be followed for appraisal and CRZ clearance to such projects.” Till the revised CZMP is approved, the CRZ, 2011 will have to be considered for clearing projects, according to the new notification.
According to those at the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority, the CZMP of the 10 coastal districts have been submitted to the NCZMA for approval. Once approved, the document could be revised in tune with the latest notification, they hoped.
Any changes in the CRZ notification will have far-reaching ramifications in the State, which has a nearly 580-km-long coastline and hundreds of thickly populated islands in its backwater and mainland coast. With its high population density and pressure from the tourism, industry and housing sectors, the management of the CRZ regime has always proved to be a tough task for the authorities.

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New notification for coastal areas in force

K.S. Sudhi, Kochi
The Hindu, January 23, 2019

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest released the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) 2019 notification on Friday, opening up the coastline of the country for construction and tourism activities.
The new notification could result in reduction of No Development Zones (NDZ) significantly. This may pave the way for a construction boom along the coastline.
Tourism sector is to benefit from the relaxation of NDZ, as more hotels and resorts are likely come up on the beach areas. Tourism activities could be undertaken in the designated areas to be identified by the State governments and included in their respective Coastal Zone Management Plan, according to the notification.
Most of the recommendations of an expert committee headed by Shailesh Nayak, which looked into the concerns of coastal States and various stakeholders, relating to the CRZ 2011 notification were incorporated in the new notification, according CRZ experts.
The notification has classified the CRZ 3 areas (the land areas that are relatively undisturbed and those which do not fall under CRZ 2) into CRZ 3 A and 3 B based on the density of population.
The areas with a population density of 2,161 persons or more per square kilometre, as in the 2011 census, will be become CRZ 3 A and construction activities could be undertaken towards the landward side from the 50 metre point of the High Tide Line (HTL).
All other CRZ-3 areas with population density of less than 2,161 persons per square kilometre will be designated as CRZ-3 B and development activities will be permitted beyond the 200-metre-mark from the HTL towards the landward side.
The notification has covered all the backwater islands and islands along the mainland coast and a uniform NDZ of 20 metres from the HTL towards the landward side has been put in place.
All the coastal States with such islands will prepare Integrated Island Management Plans and get them approved by the Ministry. The 2019 notification will come into force in these islands only when the Plan is framed.
B. Madhusoodana Kurup, former Vice chancellor of the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, Kochi, said the new notification failed to acknowledge the issues of global warming and sea level rise.
Even though the notification did away with the No Development Zone for the construction and repair of dwelling units of communities including fishermen along the coast, it would expose these group to the perils of nature more. The opening of the coast for tourism activities would lead to reduced livelihood options for fishermen, he feared.
K.K. Ramachandran, a former member secretary of the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority, said while the notification attempted to bring in some clarity on the enforcement aspects, it could result in misuse of provisions for eco-tourism activities in mangrove stretches and compensatory afforestation for affected mangroves.

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