The Indian marine and coastal biodiversity is under serious threat from developmental projects, according to experts at the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Though India has a 7500-km coastline, which supports almost 30 per cent of its population in biological and economic wastelands, the coastal and marine stretch in India is coming under unprecedented threats from various development projects including ports, power plants, ship yards and aquaculture.
The said development projects like power plants and special economic zones would expose the whole coast’s inter-tidal areas and adjoining waters under thermal pollution, directly affecting near shore biodiversity and fisheries.
Maharashtra has proposed 15 power plants (total 25GW), six captive ports and six mega shipyards in a stretch of 150-km of coastal lines and Andhra Pradesh has proposed 10 new ports and 15 thermal power projects.
Additionally, AP has proposed 70 special economic zones in 15 districts, including a staggering 5 million acres in a coastal corridor that will include airports, sea ports, ship-breaking, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, information technology, apparel units and captive thermal power stations.
None of the environmental impact assessments of existing power plants takes into account the issues around thermal pollution of sea water, they pointed out.
Hence, a legal policy and institutional action was needed to conserve coastal and marine biodiversity, they said, adding a clear policy on the coastal and marine conservation would secure biodiversity of coastal areas.
