Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification
Under the section 3 of Environment Protection Act, 1986 of India, Coastal Regulation Zone notification was issued.
In February 1991 for the first time the notification was issued.
The notification issued for regulation of activities in the coastal area.
Regulations are made by Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).
This notification was eventually allowed to lapse, and the Ministry issued a new notification which was finally passed as Coastal Regulation Zone Notification 2011 on January 6, 2011.
The Coastal Regulation Zone is defined as the coastal area up to 500m from the High Tide Line (HTL) and a stage of 100m along the banks of creeks, estuaries, backwaters, and rivers exposed to tidal variations, according to the announcement.
State governments are in charge of developing Coastal Zone Management Plans (CZMPs) and enforcing CRZ regulations through their local Coastal Zone Management Authorities.
Coastal Regulation Zone - Classification
CRZ along the country has been placed in four categories.
The notification imposed restriction on the setting up and expansion of industries or processing plants etc.
CRZ-I:
Ecologically sensitive areas like sanctuaries, reserve forests, mangroves, coral reefs, turtle-nesting grounds, which could be inundated due rise in sea level.
Lie between low and high tide lines.
No building is permitted except for operations related to nuclear power plants and defence.
Exploration of natural gas and extraction of salt are permitted.
CRZ-II:
It contains designated urban areas that are heavily developed.
Construction operations are only permitted on the landward side.
CRZ-III:
The CRZ notification,2019 issues the division of CRZ-III areas(rural areas) into two categories namely CRZ-IIIA and CRZ-IIIB.
CRZ-IIIA:
Area with population density more than 2161 persons per square km.
As per the latest notification the CRZ-IIIA areas will have no development zone (NDZ) of 50 metres from the high tide line (HTL) as compared to the 200 metres as stipulated in the notification of 2011.
CRZ-IIIB:
Rural areas with population density less than 2161 persons per square km.
The CRZ-IIIB areas however will have a no development zone of 200 metres from the HTL.
Nb: The population density of respective areas will be measured on the basis of Census 2011.
CRZ-IV:
The aquatic area from low tide line up to territorial limits is classified as CRZ-IV including the area of the tidal influenced water body.
There is no restriction on the traditional fishing undertaken by local communities.
No untreated sewage or solid waste shall be let off or dumped in these areas.
Implementation of the CRZ notification
The three institutions responsible for the implementation of the CRZ notification are :
National Coastal Zone Management Authority (NCZMA) at the Centre.
State/Union Territory Coastal Zone Management Authorities (SCZMAs/UTCZMAs) in every coastal State and Union Territory.
District Level Committees (DLCs) in every district that has a coastal stretch and where the CRZ notification is applicable.
Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification,2019
Based on the recommendations of Shailesh Nayak committee, the suggestions were given by the coastal states and union territories, and the CRZ 19 notifications were issued.
The Coastal regulation zone notification 2019 was issued to replace the 2011 notification.
CRZ 2019 develop the coastal region of the country in sustainable manner on scientific principles, keeping in view current global problem of climate change and sea level rise.
The earlier notification of 2011 had freezed the floor space index or floor space area which was defreezed in the latest notification.
The 2019 notification issues the division of CRZ-III areas(rural areas) into two categories namely CRZ-IIIA and CRZ-IIIB.
The new Rules have a no-development zone of 20 m for all islands close to the mainland coast, and for all backwater islands in the mainland.
The notification of 2019 also promotes the development of tourism infrastructure in the coastal areas.
The streamlining of the coastal regulation zone clearing procedure is one of the important feature of CRZ notification 2019.
The Ministry of Environment forest and climate change will oversee the matter of CRZ clearance only for CRZ-I; i.e the ecologically vulnerable areas and CRZ IV (area between low tide line and 12 nautical miles seaward) areas.
While for the other two categories namely CRZ-III and CRZ-II (urban areas), the power of clearance has been designated at state level.
Coastal Regulation Zone - Significance
Coastal zones are places where the marine and territorial zones meet.
There is an increasing need to protect these environmentally fragile places, such as mangroves and coral reefs, from pollution and the effects of climate change.
Furthermore, industrial growth and new infrastructure projects have been viewed as a danger to the mangrove ecology, affecting local livelihoods.
Improving the lifestyles of coastal communities such as fishing villages.
To strike a balance between development and conservation of the coastal environment.
The CRZ laws and regulations were designed to conserve coastal ecosystems by limiting human and industrial activity along the shore.
They also strive to enhance the livelihoods of coastal populations, such as fishing villages, create strategies to deal with the consequences of climate change and high-intensity storms, and secure the coastal areas' long-term growth.
The development of coastal communities is one of the four pillars of the government's ambitious Sagarmala programme.
Why it is in news?
The National Platform for Small Scale Fish Workers (NPSSFW) and other fishermen organisations have rejected the Coastal Regulation Zone Amendment Notification issued recently by the Union Ministry of Environment.
The Notification of Amendment — No. S.O. 2903 (E) — dated July 3, to the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 2011, was issued four years and six months after it was superseded by the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 2019.
The amendment provides for splitting clearance among two or more legal persons, which will provide a huge relaxation in terms of CRZ or environment clearance to any project or activity if its potential impact is also split into two or more parts.
Environment clearances are provided on a case-to-case basis after various factors are considered and an in-depth study is made into the consequences of a project.
COMMENTS