The draft Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2010, issued by the the ministry of environment and forests has received more flak than acclaim. Though the notification meets the objective of restricting development activities within 500 metres of the country’s 7,500-km long coastline, the numerous exemptions granted to certain areas and activities, some believe, may defeat the purpose of safeguarding India’s seashore ecology. The notification sidesteps the key issue of protecting the livelihood and traditional rights of the fisher folks residing and working all along the sea coast by putting the onus of doing so on the agriculture ministry. Little wonder then that the fishermen’s bodies, including the National Fishworkers Forum, have lost little time in rejecting the notification. Various environment organisations have expressed their misgivings over the exceptions that have been made for commercial activities and special economic zones (SEZs) near the seashores and special relaxations provided for Greater Mumbai, Goa, backwaters in Kerala and some other areas. It is quite understandable that some have objected to Mumbai being placed under the proposed “coastal regulation zone-II”, where it is allowed to continue ongoing development works and taking up official slum rehabilitation projects along the shoreline with up to 49 per cent private participation. This, it is feared, could spur housing boom and reality projects along the already overburdened Mumbai seashore.
Allowing tourists to bathe and swim along beaches, and allowing local villagers to serve food and sell trinkets, as happens in Goa, need not hurt seashore ecology. In theory it is entirely possible to combine tourism with ecological preservation, provided relevant regulations are properly implemented and followed by all concerned. It is worrying, however, that the new regulations allow construction of new approach roads in mangrove belts and coral reefs-rich coastal regions, albeit with a rider that such projects should not disturb free flow of tidal waters. The problem is that compliance of this condition may be difficult to monitor. So, unless local governments are pro-active in protecting their seashore ecology, mere laws enforced from Delhi may not amount to much.
That said, there are some good ideas too among the new regulations. The inclusion of the 12-nautical-mile belt off the seashore in the protected zone is one such good idea. If this is enforced effectively, it can help curb practices that are highly injurious to the marine environment, such as discharge of wastes by the ships in the coastal waters. It is also good that the notification has delineated several critically vulnerable coastal areas where development activities are strictly prohibited. These include Sunderbans in West Bengal, Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat, Achra-Ratangiri in Maharashtra and Bhaitarkanika in Orissa, among others. Some turtle breeding and nesting fields have also been put on the protected list.
But to serve as an effective instrument of conserving coastal ecology and shoreline, regulatory norms must be properly implemented. The exceptions, if any, should be few and confined to absolutely environmentally safe and strictly need-based activities. Measures aimed at protecting the ecology must also be mindful of the needs of millions of traditional fisher folks living along the coast, protecting not just seashore ecology but also the seashore economy.