Integrated Coastal Zone Management must be a holistic effort that treats pollution and climate change in coastal areas as a regional issue rather than a local one. A centralised institution must be made responsible for the task
The 11,000km Indian coastline sporting numerous urban centres, commercial and industrial hubs, besides tourist spots, have ensured a continuous activity of remarkable levels. However, this development has come at a cost. The coastline, with 202 ports, 27 thermal power plants and hundreds of fishing harbours, has a further 76 ports and 59 thermal power plants planned for future. Given this scenario, the future poses a grim challenge for Indian coastal ecological stability.
The environmental impact of coastal development has a direct effect on the shorelines. For instance, the 1989 commercial harbour built in South Puducherry resulted in the disturbance in the natural movement of sand, and caused the loss of beaches. The Government’s efforts to build sea walls and breakwaters to check erosion did little to help.
Also, the resultant instability of the coast caused the local communities, predominantly traditional fisherfolk, to lose their livelihood as the coast became increasingly bereft of fish, forcing the fishermen to venture into deeper waters.
The thermal power plants along the coast add to the problem as well. For instance, the Ennore thermal power plant in Tamil Nadu releases warm wastewater into the sea, which affects the fish catchment in the area. Chemical industries along the coast aggravate an already delicate situation, with the chemicals seeping into the sea water. This affects the quality of groundwater as well. But, inspite of this, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, between 2007 and 2012, had approved four thermal power plants in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu, within a short distance from the Pichavaram mangrove forest. How the organisations conducting the Environment Impact Assessment overlooked the proximity of the thermal power plants to the mangrove forest, is a mystery, and induces one to think whether the Coastal Regulation Zone law is actually benefitting the protection of coastal ecology and livelihoods.
The west coast of India suffers from the yet another environmentally detrimental industrial activity of ship-breaking. Most of the ship-breaking activity is concentrated in Alang and Sosiya shipyards in Gujarat. The State has 171 ship-breaking yards which produce 4.6 million tonnes of scrap metal a year and provides enormous employment to locals. But the industry has severely polluted the coastal region. Over the years, the fish catch along Alang has reduced by 60 per cent due to the presence of heavy metals like lead, cadmium and mercury in the sea water.
A burgeoning population with an increasing disposable income is providing an impetus to tourism. Coastal India is bearing the brunt of this as a heavy influx of tourists and the establishment of resorts and hotels on coasts are resulting in degradation of beaches and loss of groundwater. But probably the most disturbing feature is the lack of sewerage and solid waste management.
The National Institute of Oceanography, in its 2011 report, had stated that the coastal waters of Goa are unsafe for bathing or fishing. The level of faecal coliform found in the waters is double the safety limit of 100 units per millilitre as specified by the World Health Organisation. With an influx of more than 2.5 million tourists every year, the situation could soon slip out of hand.
Determined steps are needed to curb the runaway pollution levels in the coastal areas. In June last, the National Green Tribunal made a welcome move when it ordered closure of hotels and institutions in Goa that do not have a sewage treatment plant. Similarly, the NGT has taken exception to the construction activity on the beaches of Puri in Odisha and has issued a restraint order for the same. The NGT also directed the State Government and the Puri Municipality to file detailed affidavits on the status of solid waste and sewage management and disposal in the city.
The Integrated Coastal Zone Management as a way of managing the coasts in an integrated manner is already underway in India in the name of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project, financed by the World Bank, since 2010. With an estimated cost of $286 million, the main objectives of ICZMP is conservation of the mangroves, introduction of coastal protection measures, economic development and setting up cyclone shelters.
However, the ICZM needs to be a holistic effort that treats pollution and climate change in coastal areas as a regional issue rather than a local one. It is imperative that a single centralised institution be made responsible for maintaining coastal environment, rather than have multiple and fragmented departments. Also, timely Government action and judicial activism would surely turn the tide in favour of environment protection.