Date: 13/02/2023

Relevance: GS-3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment.

Key Phrases: Coastal Regulation Zone, ecologically sensitive areas, High Tide Line, Union Environment Ministry, National Centre for Coastal Research, National Assessment of Shoreline, Environment Impact Assessment, land reclamation.

Why in News?

• A planned offshore memorial to the late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi was opposed by representatives of some opposition parties and fishermen’s and environmental groups on grounds of environmental damage and loss of livelihoods in Chennai.

Coastal regulation Zone:

• The CRZ denotes areas along India’s coastal stretch where the development of buildings, tourism infrastructure and other facilities is regulated.
• The coastal land up to 500 metres from the High Tide Line (HTL) — the line on the land up to which the highest water line reaches during the full and new moons — is the CRZ.
• The regulation is aimed at conserving and protecting coastal stretches; securing the livelihood of the fishing and local communities living in coastal areas; and sustainably promoting development, taking into account natural hazards and sea-level rise.
• CRZ-IA:
  • It denotes ecologically sensitive areas.
• CRZ-II:
  • It is the area that is already developed up to the shore.
• CRZ-IV(A):
  • It is 12 nautical miles off the Low Tide Line (LTL), the line on the land up to which the lowest water line reaches during the full and new moons.
• While the 2011 CRZ notification mandated regulation of pollution from offshore activities in CRZ-IV(A), the 2019 notification allows land reclamation for establishing ports, harbours and roads; facilities for discharging treated effluents; transfer of hazardous substances; and construction of memorials or monuments.
• According to the latest notification, the projects proposed in CRZ-I and CRZ-IV will require clearance from the Union government.

Cause of opposition:

• CRZ clearance:
  • The project requires Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance as it involves both onshore and offshore construction.
  • As conceived, it consists of a 42-metre-tall pen statue-cum-pedestal set over half-an-acre of the reclaimed sea at a point where the sea is six metres deep.
  • The pen would be situated about 360 metres from the shore with a bridge connecting it to the existing Karunanidhi memorial on the shore.
  • The lattice bridge would be about 650 metres long — 290 metres on the shore and about 360 metres in the sea — connecting the monument and the shore.
  • The project will be spread over about 8551.13 square metres, covering CRZ-IA, CRZ-II, and CRZ-IV(A) and requires clearance under Section 4(ii)(j) of the Union Environment Ministry’s Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2011 (amended up to March 22, 2016).
• NCCR report:
  • The National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), in its report on coastline structures, says man-made activities result in significant changes to the shoreline, causing coastal erosion and accretion.
  • The coastal ecosystems are highly threatened, encountering pollution, siltation and erosion, flooding, saltwater intrusion, and storm surges.
  • In a study, ‘National Assessment of Shoreline: Changes along Indian Coast’, the NCCR has found that from 1990 to 2016, 33% of India’s coastline witnessed erosion, with the majority of it seen along the east coast facing the Bay of Bengal.
  • Tamil Nadu, with 42.7% of its coast suffering erosion, ranks fourth in India after West Bengal (60.5%), Puducherry (56.2%) and Kerala (46.4%).
  • NCCR data suggest that stretches of the coast are experiencing ‘low’ erosion, neither ‘high’ nor ‘moderate’.
  • The memorial project location on Marina beach in Chennai is in the region classified as having ‘moderate’ accretion, meaning the gradual accumulation of sand because of natural action.
• Gaps in the EIA:
  • Activists have claimed that the Draft Rapid Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Report on the pen memorial has failed to account for several factors.
  • According to the EIA, the seabed is devoid of any sensitive species like coral reefs, seagrass and Olive Ridley turtles; structures will be built on piles, which will be positioned in a manner that it will not disturb any fishing activity; the marine water and sediment quality were found to be optimum.
  • Environmentalists say fisherfolk who have been living on the Marina are sure about Olive Ridley turtles and fishes thriving near the project area.
  • Countering the statement in the EIA that fishermen venture only deep into the sea for fishing, environmentalists claim it is contrary to Indian fishing patterns. Throughout the country, fish are found only in the near-shore areas.
  • There is nothing “optimum” about the sediment as data in the EIA itself suggest six out of eight samples taken from the project area show higher-than-standard levels of mercury. Two samples also show increased cadmium levels.
• Sea-level rise:
  • The coastal environment is already overburdened, and efforts must be made to protect it rather than add to the construction in the area.
  • As per the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Chennai has been running the risk of rising sea levels.
  • The Greater Chennai Corporation’s Climate Action Plan says that in five years, seawater may reach 100 metres into the shore. In 15 to 20 years, 200 metres of shoreland will be engulfed by the sea.
  • The EIA has been done without the threat of sea-level rise — which is now a global concern — having been considered.

Conclusion:

• The Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance is a critical step in the process of building the Pen Monument to Karunanidhi's memory.
• The CRZ clearance process assesses the potential impact of the project on the coastal environment and ensures compliance with coastal zone management and conservation regulations.
• If the proposed monument meets the necessary CRZ criteria, clearance will be granted, and the monument can proceed to be built.
• The decision on whether to build the monument or not will depend on various factors, including the support of local communities, cultural and historical significance, and compliance with regulations.

Source: The Hindu

Mains Question:

Q. What are the challenges and considerations in balancing environmental protection and the construction of monuments in the Coastal Regulation Zone, and how can these be effectively addressed to ensure responsible and sustainable development? Discuss.