The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India tabled a report in Parliament on whether steps taken by the Union Environment Ministry to conserve India’s coastal ecosystems have been successful. The CAG’s latest report contains the observations from an audit of ‘Conservation of Coastal Ecosystems from 2015-20.’
Key highlights of the report
- The Union Ministry of Environment hadn’t notified the National Coastal Zone Management Authority (NCZMA) as a permanent body and it was being reconstituted every few years. In the absence of defined membership, it was functioning as an ad-hoc body.
- There were instances of the Expert Appraisal Committees not being present during project deliberations. There were also instances of the members of the EAC being fewer than half of the total strength during the deliberations. The EAC is a committee of scientific experts and senior bureaucrats who evaluate the feasibility of an infrastructure project and its environmental consequences.
- The State Coastal Zone Management Authorities (SCZMA) had not been reconstituted in Karnataka and there was delayed reconstitution in the States of Goa, Odisha and West Bengal.
- The District Level Committees (DLCs) of Tamil Nadu lacked participation from local traditional communities. In Andhra Pradesh, DLCs were not even established.
- There were instances of projects being approved despite inadequacies in the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) reports.
- Tamil Nadu didn’t have a strategy in place to conserve the Gulf of Mannar Islands.
- In Goa, there was no system for monitoring coral reefs and no management plans to conserve turtle nesting sites.
- In Gujarat, instruments procured to study the physiochemical parameters of soil and water of the inertial area of the Gulf of Kutch weren’t used.
- Sea patrolling in Gahirmatha Sanctuary, in Kendrapara, Odisha did not happen.
About Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification 2019
- The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has notified Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2019 under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, to regulate activities along India’s coasts particularly regarding construction.
- The CRZ has been notified with a view to conserve and protect coastal stretches, marine areas and to ensure livelihood security to the fisherand other local communities.
- As per CRZ notification, 2019, certain coastal areas were declared as coastal regulation zone, wherein setting up of industries and expansion of industries are prohibited activities and other developmental activities/projects are regulated/ permitted as per provisions of the said notification.
- CRZ-I areas have been defined as ecologically sensitive and important areas.
- CRZ 3A: Areas with a population density of 2,161 persons or more per sq km, as in the 2011 census.
- CRZ 3B: All other CRZ-3 areas with population density of less than 2,161 persons per sq km.
- CRZ-IV areas are coastal stretches in the Andaman & Nicobar islands, the Lakshadweep islands, and small islands except those designated as CRZ-I, CRZ-II or CRZ-III.
- A No Development Zone (NDZ) of 20 meters from the High Tide Line (HTL) towards the landward side has been stipulated for all Islands.
- Only such projects/activities, which are located in the CRZ-I (Ecologically Sensitive Areas) and CRZ IV (area covered between Low Tide Line and 12 Nautical Miles seaward) shall be dealt with for CRZ clearance by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
- The powers for clearances with respect to CRZ-II and III have been delegated at the State level with necessary guidance.
- The Coastal Regulation Zone Notification (CRZ) 2019, implemented by the Ministry, classifies the coastal area into different zones to manage infrastructure activities and regulate them.
- The three institutions responsible for the implementation of the CRZ are the National Coastal Zone Management Authority (NCZMA) at the Centre, the State/Union Territory Coastal Zone Management Authorities (SCZMAs/UTCZMAs) in every coastal State and Union Territory and the District Level Committees (DLCs) in every district that has a coastal stretch and where the CRZ notification is applicable.
(Sources: The Hindu and PIB)
