On the new coastal zone plan of Kerala | Explained

Union Ministry approves Coastal Zone Management Plan for 10 Kerala districts, relaxing CRZ rules for development activities along coast.

The story so far: The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has approved the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMPs) of 10 coastal districts of Kerala namely Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram. The plan, prepared in tune with the provisions of the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2019, permits the coastal districts to take advantage of the relaxed Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules and initiate development activities including construction of buildings towards the seaward side.

The Ministry has asked the State government to make available the signed copies of the approved CZMPs of all the 10 coastal districts in the public domain through the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority website within one month. The Ministry has clarified that all applications seeking CRZ clearance received after the approval of the CRZ 2019 shall be considered as per the CRZ Notification, 2019. The union government had initiated the process of declaring the designated areas as Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) to conserve and protect the “unique environment of coastal stretches and marine areas, besides providing livelihood security to the fisher communities and other local communities in the coastal areas and to promote sustainable development based on scientific principles taking into account the dangers of natural hazards, sea level rise due to global warming.”

Kerala has a coastline of around 590 km and nine of its 14 districts are located on the coast of the Arabian Sea. The 2011 Census put the population density of Kerala at 859 persons per square kilometre, which is more than double the national average of 382 people per square kilometre. The coastal areas of the State are marked by a high density of population when compared to other parts of the State. It is estimated that five corporations, 36 municipalities and 245 grama panchayats will come under the CRZ regime in the State in the 10 districts.

The high demographic pressure on land had resulted in rampant violations of the CRZ rules along the coast. Thousands of land modifications, which include the illegal reclamation of wetlands and encroachments, have been reported along the Kerala coast. Hundreds of constructions have come up along the coast in blatant violation of the rules. The focus of the CRZ 2011 regime, which was in force till the approval of the CZMP, was on the conservation of the coastal ecosystem, which in turn protected the livelihood of millions of fishers and coastal communities.

The approval of the CZMP would directly benefit around 10 lakh people, according to an estimation of the State government as the earlier restrictions for the construction of new houses and repair of existing homes will be relaxed. The approval of the CZMP was made a pre-condition for the States to make the CRZ 2019 applicable and enjoy its benefits.

The new regime will see the No Development Zone (NDZ) — the area which has to be left untouched — around the tidal-influenced water bodies reduced to 50 metres from the earlier 100 metres from the High Tide Line in at least 122 local bodies in the State. The decision will see 37 village panchayats categorised as CRZ-III A, where the NDZ has been reduced to one-fourth of the earlier regime. The CRZ-III A are densely populated rural areas with a population density of 2,161 per square kilometre as per the 2011 Census. The NDZ in the category is 50 meters from the High Tide Line against 200 meters as specified by CRZ 2011 notification. The new regime will see 66 village panchayats being included in the CRZ-2 category paving way for the construction of both commercial and residential buildings along the building line of authorised structures.

The NDZ in the CRZ areas of Kerala will be reduced to half. It will be 108.397 sq. km against the earlier 239.431 sq. km, as fixed by the CRZ 2011 notification.