Why it is important to prevent coastline erosion? Does the recent draft Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification serve the purpose? Comment. (200 words)
Refer – Business Standard
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 6 years
KEY POINTS
Importance
· Seashore harbours valuable mangroves, seaweeds, coral reefs, and other kinds of marine biodiversity, which serve as a source of raw material for several industries, notably pharmaceutical and cosmetic units.
· In its natural state, this eco-system has a sobering influence on saline winds, cyclones, sea waves and incursion of seawater into underground aquifers.
· This belt is ecologically highly sensitive because of the constant interaction of marine and territorial ecosystems and, therefore, needs cautious handling.
Concerns with CRZ – 2018
· Under this notification, even some of the fragile coastal areas are mooted to be opened up for tourism and other purposes by simplifying the project clearance procedures and giving greater say to states to manage the seaside tracts.
· The changes mooted in the land use of the CRZ-I and CRZ-II, for instance, can be a case in point.
· The zone-I comprises ecologically the most sensitive areas, which are currently marked “off-limit” for tourism and infrastructure has been allowed to be used for nature trails and eco-tourism, though with the state government’s consent.
· Similarly, zone-II, comprising relatively undisturbed areas close to the shoreline, which has a “no development” belt of 200 metres, is proposed to be redrawn to restrict the no-development strip to merely 50 metres.
· Environmentalists feel that this would impair the ecology of the coastal belts and might aggravate sea erosion.
Way Ahead
· Instead of relaxations government should concentrate on taking anti-erosion measures such as creating wave-breakers and raising vegetative protection belts of the kind successfully tried out in the tsunami-hit areas.
· The most endangered regions should, at least, be effectively shielded against any kind of potentially erosive activity.
