CED Publications
CED Publications
| OTHER
RELATED ARTICLES |
 In
troubled waters, The Telegraph, 18th July 2007 |
| Statement
Against Implimentation of CMZ , Magline Peter,
Theeradesa Mahilavedi, July 2007 |
|
|
Fisherfolks across India’s 7,500 km long coastline are up in arms against the draft Coastal Zone Management Notification. The coastal communities say the notification does not acknowledge their traditional rights and can damage the coasts and the people. The draft, prepared by the Union ministry of environment and forests (moef), will soon be forwarded to the prime minister for his approval.
Problem daft The committee submitted
its report in
February 2005, paving the way for the new draft.
RANJAN
PARIKAR
New
coastal management notification may adversely affect coasts, communities
The draft categorises coastal
areas into four management zones—cmz-i, cmz-ii, cmz-iii and cmz-iv.
| cmz–i
includes ecologically sensitive areas like coral reefs and mangroves cmz–ii consists of areas of particular
concern—coastal
municipalities, panchayats with more than 400 persons per sq
km, ports, tourist areas and special economic zones |
||||||||||||||||
cmz-iii
includes open areas including coastal waters—excluding those classified
as cmz– i, ii and iv
cmz-iv
includes the inland territories of Andaman and Nicobar (a&n), Lakshadweep, and other offshore islands
The draft has given a new definition to ‘coastal zone’, which, it says,
includes “the area from the territorial waters limit—12 nautical miles
measured from the appropriate baseline—including its sea bed, the
adjacent land area along the coast and inland water bodies influenced
by tidal action”.
The draft envisages creating what it calls setback lines along the
coast.
This is a line that will
be scientifically
calculated based on the vulnerability of the coast to various hazards.
moef says many industrialised
countries follow the practice. Though the draft is silent on the
technical guidelines for measuring the line, the ministry says they
“may be provided” later.
The draft has also recommended constructing a seawall for setback line
in crz-ii
areas. It also has a provision for creating a 31-member National Board
for Sustainable Coastal Zone Management chaired by the Union minister
for environment and forests.
Business as usual
“The government is facilitating setting up of industry in the sea. The
new definition of coastal zones will only benefit industry which will
pollute the coasts, threatening livelihoods of the fisherfolks,” says
Ossie Fernandes of the Coastal Action Network in Chennai.
"moef
has failed to do any regulation in coastal zones and now has proposed
to manage the zones. This will affect over 3,202 fishing villages in
India. If the government does not withdraw it, the fishing communities
will go on agitation and may be forced to take extreme steps,” says
Harekrishna Debnath, chairperson of the National Fishworkers Forum (nff).
On June 11, 2007, the National Consultation on Impending Threat to the
Coastal Zone—a collective of representatives from fishing communities
and various ngos—met in Chennai and issued
a joint statement.
They demanded “a comprehensive legislation (to protect coastal
environment and the livelihoods of coastal communities) on the basis of
public consultations, particularly with fishing and other
natural-resource dependent communities, with customary rights in the
coastal zone; recognition and regularisation of settlements and
customary uses of coastal spaces by the marine fishing villages along
India’s coastline identified by the Marine Fisheries Census, 2005...”
Despite the concerns, moef
is trying to get the draft notified as soon as possible. The ministry,
say media reports, has got approval from the planning commission to
seek Rs 500-crore aid from the World Bank on the basis of the
notification.
Coastal regulation
In 1981, the then prime minister Indira Gandhi proposed that no
permanent structure should come up within 500 metres of the high-tide
line (HTL) along the coast. The discussions that followed were
culminated in moef issuing the crz notification on February 19. But the
notification was followed by a slew of amendments proposed by various
committees, removing much of the original effect (see box: Controversial
committees). Some of the amendments they proposed allowed:
January 31, 1997: Mining of
sand and withdrawal of groundwater in the crz
area in a&n
August 4, 2000: Storage of
liquefied natural gas in the inter-tidal area and extraction of oil and
gas in crzs
April 12, 2001: Setting up of
projects under the department of atomic energy, pipelines and conveying
systems in crz
May 21, 2002: Non-polluting
industries and other service industries in crz
in special economic zones
June 24, 2003: Construction of
trans-harbour sea links passing through crz-i
July 24, 2003: Relaxing ndz to 50 metres from htl
in a&n and Lakshadweep, for
promoting tourism
Loud concerns
Environmentalists say the 2007 draft has many contradictions with its
1991 counterpart (see table: One step in, two steps out). “The
old notification clearly mentioned the customary rights of traditional
fisherfolks and allowed them to work within the ndz
to earn a livelihood. The new draft does not,” says Debnath. According
to the people, the cmz-i
has lost its relevance since it is no longer an ndz.
Organisations like nff and the South Indian
Federation of Fishermen Societies have started a nation-wide campaign
against the draft, asking the government to withdraw it before August 9.
“The notification will make available premium coastal land
to commercial interests,” says Sudarshan Rodriguez with the Ashoka
Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment in Chennai.
The notification has not provided any guidelines based on which the
integrated coastal zone management plans (iczmp)
should be prepared. The appendix v of the
draft lists “activities requiring access to shoreline”—ports, fish
landing sites, and defence installations. “What if iczmp
adopts these activities as allowed in czm-i? Why this vagueness?” asks Rodriguez.
The fishing community feels the setback line may also cause trouble.
“In the name of protection, the setback line will push the fishing
villages away from the sea. Municipalities will construct seawall and
that will legalise all activities taking place on the other side of the
wall,” Debnath says.
According to Fernandes, moef is highly
optimistic in thinking it will map the setback line for the entire
Indian coast. “In the last 16 years, most states have failed in even
demarcating the HTL under the 1991 notification,” he adds.
nff says the reclassification of
most crz-iii
areas as czm-ii
in the new notification poses a serious threat to the fishing
communities. For instance, they say, most fishing villages under crz-iii category—as per the 1991
notification—had protection in terms of ndz.
If the new draft is legalised, they will be under crz-ii and be open to unplanned development.
“The only protection measure the new notification offers in crz-ii
is construction of a sea wall which the local authorities can decide.
Once this is made, all other activities can be carried out on the
landward side of seawall,” says Rodriguez.
Debnath says inspite of the efforts by nff
and other concerned bodies, the government is passive to the demands of
the fishing communities. No hearing has been held yet, he says, adding,
“The Swaminathan committee and moef have
refused to listen to us. Now, we are left with no option but to go on a
nationwide agitation.”
