The Hindu Business Line : Experts want CRZ notification revised

A revised CRZ (coastal regulatory zone) notification is called for in the wake of tsunami, as the earlier notification issued by the Union Government in 1991 does not address many relevant issues, according to Prof. V. Sundar of the Department of Ocean Technology, IIT, Chennai.

He was speaking as the moderator at an interaction session on integrated coastal zone management organised by the Hindu Media Resource Centre of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai, here on Saturday. Other experts who participated in the session expressed the same view.

Prof. Sundar, also a member of the CRZ expert committee, said the Government had constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Dr M.S. Swaminathan to look into the CRZ notification and suggest the desired amendments. "The committee submitted the report last year to the Government and the revised notification awaited," he said.

He said it had been suggested to the Government that instead of calling it coastal regulatory zone, it should be renamed coastal management zone. "The emphasis is not on policing, but integrated development of the coastal zone, striking a balance between the ecological concerns and development," he explained.

The adoption of the "polluter pays" principle, development of sustainable fisheries, establishment of bio-shields along the coast such as mangroves and participation of all the stakeholders were some of the recommendations of the Swaminathan committee, he said.

Dr K.S.R. Murthy, the scientist in-charge, the National Institute of Oceanography, Visakhapatnam, said the coastal morphology and seismicity should be carefully studied and data bank developed to meet calamities such as tsunami and cyclones. "Even if we establish a tsunami warning system, we cannot take up mitigation if we do not have such data," he said.

Dr V. Selvam, the programme director, coastal systems research, Swaminathan Foundation, said sea ranching and construction of artificial coral reefs should be encouraged. Mangroves and other bio-shields such as casuarina plantations should be developed along the coast, but not too close to the coastline.

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