Coastal Regulation Zone

Done by:
Suresh
Sanjana
Mahima
Coastal Regulation Zone - 1991
Coastal Regulation Zone Rules govern human and industrial activity close to the coastline, in order to protect the fragile
ecosystems near the sea. The Rules, mandated under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, were first framed in 1991. They
sought to restrict certain kinds of activities, like large constructions, setting up of new industries, storage or disposal of
hazardous material, mining, or reclamation and bunding, within a certain distance from the coastline. The basic idea is: because
areas immediately next to the sea are extremely delicate, home to many marine and aquatic life forms, both animals and plants,
and are also threatened by climate change, they need to be protected against unregulated development.

Under the Environment Protection Act, 1986 of India, notification was issued in February 1991, for regulation of activities in the coastal
area by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). As per the notification, the coastal land up to 500m from the High Tide Line
(HTL) and a stage of 100m along banks of creeks, estuaries, backwater and rivers subject to tidal fluctuations, is called the Coastal
Regulation Zone(CRZ). CRZ along the country has been placed in four categories. The above notification includes only the inter-tidal
zone and land part of the coastal area and does not include the ocean part. The notification imposed restriction on the setting up and
expansion of industries or processing plaits etc. in the said CRZ. Coastal Regulation Zones(CRZ) are notified by the govt of India in
1991 for the first time. Under this coastal areas have been classified as CRZ-1, CRZ-2, CRZ-3, CRZ-4.

● CRZ-1: these are ecologically sensitive areas these are essential in maintaining the ecosystem of the coast. They lie
between low and high tide line. Exploration of natural gas and extraction of salt are permitted
● CRZ-2: these areas are urban areas located in the coastal areas. Now under new coastal zone regulations 2018, the floor
space index norms has been de-freezed.
● CRZ-3: rural and urban localities which fall outside the 1 and 2. Only certain activities related to agriculture even some
public facilities are allowed in this zone
● CRZ-4: this lies in the aquatic area up to territorial limits. Fishing and allied activities are permitted in this zone. Solid waste
should be let off in this zone. This zone has been changed from 1991 notification, which covered coastal stretches in
islands of Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshdweep
 Violations and iterations
● Regularising population and commercial pressure on the active play zone of the sea waves was at the heart of the notification,
when it was first issued in 1991 under the Environmental Protection Act, 1986. In the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami, which killed
10,000 people along the eastern coast, CRZ Notification 2011 was brought in to beef up coastal zone. But over the period, CRZ
has been more violated than protected.
● In fact, over the last 27 years, the notification has been iterated twice and modified 34 times, making it the most amended law in
the history of India.

Kerala: A state of endless violations.

● There are as many as 65 “major Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ)
violations” in the State by “private companies/ owners”, according to a
list drawn up by the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority
(KCZMA).
● Maradu, where the four apartments which the SC ordered to be
demolished are located, has been under CRZ III category as per the
coastal zone management plan of 1996. The builder was asked to
pay a fine of Rs 1 crore for having started construction without prior
environmental clearance.
● The four apartment projects slated for demolition come under the
Maradu municipality, both projects are situated on the banks of
Chilavannur lake.
● In 2012, a single bench of Kerala High Court ordered that the DLF project be demolished after the apartment complex was found
to have been constructed in violation of CRZ rules. But the court was of the view that causing demolition of the structure will be
more detrimental than causing it to be retained; also with a view to lessen the probable additional damages to be caused to the
environment in this regard. This in turn persuades this court to save demolition, however, making the builder to pay for the
damage caused to the environment.
● In the case of Maradu builders, Confident Group the legal battle started in 2007 when they moved the high court against the
panchayat’s stop memo. The single bench and division bench favoured the builders. Meanwhile, Maradu panchayat became a
municipality and as per the CRZ draft notification of 2011 the area was brought under CRZ-II. But KCZMA moved the Supreme
Court, which ordered the demolition.
● Both cases show the different approaches of the court on the same issue.
 2011 Modified zones
CRZ-1 : Most ecologically sensitive
areas like mangroves, coral reefs and
sand dunes, and intertidal zones. It
was off-limits for tourism activities
and infrastructure development,
except for defence, strategic and rare
public utility projects.
CR-3 : Under earlier notifications,
hotels and beach resorts were also
allowed in CRZ-3, or relatively
undisturbed areas that do not fall
under CRZ-I or II. But their
construction was prohibited in no
development zone (NDZ) of CRZ-III,
which extends landwards up to 200 m
from HTL.
CRZ-4 : It includes the shallow belt of
coastal waters extending up to 12
nautical miles, is not only a crucial
fishing zone for small fishers but also
bears the maximum brunt of waste
from offshore activities, such as oil
exploration, mining and shipping. The
2011 notification had thus laid
importance on regulation of pollution
from such offshore activities.
2018
CRZ-1A : “eco-tourism activities such as
mangrove walks, tree huts, nature trails, etc” in
eco-sensitive areas.
Sea links, salt harvesting and desalination
plants and roads on stilts are also allowed
CRZ-1B : New land created from oceans or lake
beds and is known to have strong impacts on
coastal ecology, has been allowed in intertidal
or CRZ-IB areas, for ports and sea links.
CRZ- 2 : A substantially built-up area, project
developers can now increase the floor area ratio
or floor space index, and build resorts and other
tourism facilities.
CRZ-3A & 3B :NDZ drastically shrunk to 50 m
from HDL in densely populated areas (where
population exceeds 2,161 per sq km).This
technically allows resorts, hotels and tourism
facilities to be built right up to HTL. Providing
housing facilities just 50 m from the coastline
would expose the inhabitants to severe weather
events, that too without any buffer.
CRZ-4 : Instead of strengthening the regulation,
the 2018 notification allows land reclamation for
setting up ports, harbours and roads; facilities
for discharging treated effluents; transfer of
hazardous substances; and construction of
memorials or monuments.
 Strategic projects
● 550 ports and related projects, Rs 8 lakh to be implemented by
2035, 14 economic zones, 11 tourism circuits, roads stretching
2,000 km under way along the coastline. 14 have been
completed and 69 are under construction.
● Sagarmala project: Launched in 2015 by the Ministry of
Shipping, aims to promote port-led development by harnessing
the 7,500 km long coastline including offshore islands governed
under Island Protection Zone Notification since 2011, 14,500 km
of potentially navigable waterways.
● Bharatmala project: Coastal and port connectivity roads,
stretching 2,000 km.

Threats
● Sagarmala project: In Valiyathura, Thiruvananthapuram district,
the sea gobbled up over 200 houses between June and July
2018.
Effluents from the Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation Plant has
already poisoned the Hooghly river.
● Vizhinjam project: 15 kilometres of the coast and 30,000 people
are affected by its completion.
● In the past two decades, 45% of coast has been lost due to
erosion.
● UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction: Natural
disasters along the coast has cost the country $80 billion 1998
and 2017.
● CRZ notifications right from 1991: Planned phase out of untreated
sewage and waste disposal in the water. But this provision is
rarely implemented.