Coastal Regulation Zone

Coastal Regulation Zone

The high-rise luxury apartment complexes in Maradu municipality in Kochi were demolished following a Supreme Court order. The demolition was necessitated because these apartment complexes had violated Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notifications. They have also been mentioned in the judgment of the case which is pending before the Supreme Court.

The coastal areas of seas, bays, creeks, rivers, and backwaters which get influenced by tides up to 500 m from the high tide line (HTL) and the land between the low tide line (LTL) and the high tide line have been declared as coastal regulation zone (CRZ) in 1991.

The coastal regulation zones have been declared by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change under the Environment Protection Act 1986. While the CRZ Rules are made by the Union environment ministry, implementation is to be ensured by state governments through their Coastal Zone Management Authorities.

About HTL and LTL

High Tide Line: High Tide Line (HTL), meaning high tide line, is the limit of the land to which the water rises during a particular tidal period. It may also be used to designate the highest astronomical tide that can be predicted to occur.

Low Tide Line: The low tide line is the boundary between the shore and seafloor, which disappears during a spring tidal surge. The low tide line is not a fixed demarcation; it varies with each tidal cycle.

Spring tides: The position of both the sun and the moon in relation to the earth has direct bearing on tide height. When the sun, the moon and the earth are in a straight line, the height of the tide will be higher. These are called spring tides and they occur twice a month, one on full moon period and another during new moon period.

Importance of Regulation of Coastal Zones

It is very important to protect the ecologically sensitive areas like mangroves, coral reefs from human intervention. Mangroves and coral reefs act as a shield against tsunami and cyclones. Tsunami waves tend to dissipate when it comes in contact with mangroves. The mangrove ecosystem prevents coastal erosion.

The importance of a well developed coastal zone plan to the livelihoods of fisherman and the fishing industry doesn’t seem to be a globally known concept.

Coastal erosion is perhaps one of the most challenging effects of cyclones, storm surges, and sea-level rise. It poses a major threat to coastal development as the global mean sea level is gradually rising. As a result, the occurrences and impacts of high-intensity cyclones are increasing in the countries.

With the increase in human population and the rise in the social status of coastal zones, more attention has been placed on these areas to ensure that development can be achieved without interrupting the environment. Conservationists are finding their voice again and are beginning to demand more action by local and national governments

Timeline of CRZ regulations

The multiple waves of regulations are also a manifestation of India’s long coastline and the diverse roles it plays in supporting livelihoods.

The rules put restrictions on the granting and amendment of permission for new industrial activities along the coastal zone, disallowing environmentally destructive activities like mining, returning water to the sea, acoustic pollution by operating installations, and so on.

In India, the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Rules govern human and industrial activity close to the coastline, in order to protect the fragile ecosystems near the sea.

They restrict certain kinds of activities — like large constructions, setting up of new industries, storage or disposal of hazardous material, mining, reclamation and bunding — within a certain distance from the coastline.

Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification was first issued in 1991 by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 with the mandate to take measures to protect and conserve our coastal environment.