DRAFT READING
Greens wary of new coastal zone notification plan
Mumbai: Environmentalists voiced their concerns over the proposed draft of the Coastal Management Zone (CMZ) Notification 2008, which is supposed to supersede the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Rules 1991, at a reading of the draft held at Maharashtra Nature Park on Sunday.
The proposed CMZ Notification is a gross dilution of the existing CRZ Rules. We are now planning to reject it outright, said environmentalist G R Vora, adding that the CMZ was a complete rundown of CRZ rules.
The environmentalists are now planning to demand that the existing CRZ Rules 1991 be made more stringent in order to plug the loopholes created due to the 12 amendments.
One of the concerns raised was the ambiguity in the parameters which defined the concept of a setback line. The draft said that the parameters would include elevation, geomorphology, sea-level trends and horizontal shoreline displacements.
The greens said the CMZ notification was contradictory as it did not have well-defined rules in place, was unclear, amateurish and riddled with loopholes. It appears to have been drafted so as to pave the way for the destruction of coasts and their flora and fauna. Another reason is so that development projects could be given a go-ahead without any hindrance. It looks as if developers and builders have formulated this draft, Vora said.
Environmentalists said the high tide lines (HTL), which had been used as the parameter till now, should be included in the parameters to define the setback line.
These terms are vague and have scope for various loopholes, said mangrove activist Rishi Agarwal, adding that if debris was to be dumped into a creek and a new land mass created, it would not violate either of the above parameters.
The environmentalists were also concerned about the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan (ICZMP) and said that ecologically sensitive areas would be conserved keeping in view the safety and livelihood needs of local communities. There is a need to define the scope of the term livelihood, said Vidya Vaidya from Citispace, adding that in the definition could also permit aqua culture.
Environmentalist Debi Goenka said the draft, which the ministry of environment and forests, said was drafted by M S Swaminathan, had not been signed by him because a chapter was added by the ministry itself without seeking his permission.