Coastal Regulation Zone amendment opens door for more reclamation projects

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has paved way for the Mumbai coastal road project by amending the coastal regulation zone (CRZ) to allow reclamation through a draft notification.

The relaxation of norms though – to be finalised by August-end – has got environmentalists worried as the notification also clears the decks for similar projects across other coastal states.

The 35.6-km-long Mumbai coastal road project, which will connect south Mumbai to Kandivli, has faced stiff opposition from environmentalists as it involves reclamation of nearly 160 hectares to build a 9.8-km stretch and an additional 8km will be built after cutting mangroves at three different places.

Earlier, reclamation was prohibited under CRZ notification 2011. But the draft notification, issued on Monday, allows for road construction on reclaimed land. The notification states that along with construction of facilities such as ports and jetties, which are exempted from activities prohibited under CRZ norms, even roads on reclaimed surface (are allowed) without affecting tidal flow of water.

Along with the permission for reclamation, the draft amendments also allow for cutting mangroves, but with compensatory afforestation.

Ministry officials told dna that the draft notification is not limited to the Mumbai coastal road project. "It is a proposed amendment to the CRZ notification itself. So the amendment's impact is not limited to a single project. In future, any agency or state which wishes to approach the ministry for approving similar projects will benefit," an official said.

Environmentalists say that the ministry's draft notification is in sync with its policies to allow an increasing number of projects that are built on or near coastal land.

"An amendment of this nature is likely to open the door for similar projects where inter-tidal areas will be reclaimed. Although the draft notification states that such projects shall be only in exceptional cases, it opens up options for other states too. We have often seen that coastal zone management authority of states usually pass such projects," said Kanchi Kohli, legal research director, Centre for Policy Research – Namati, environment justice programme.

A few other environmentalists said that the amendment is a continuing dangerous trend that was also seen earlier when the Chhatrapati Shivaji memorial was cleared after amendments to the CRZ norms for building the monument in the middle of Arabian Sea. "The road could have been built on stilts, but they have chosen reclamation. No study has been done to find out the impact of such projects on tidal currents. How will the tidal flow of water remain unaffected with large-scale reclamation?" said Stalin D, director (projects), Vanashakti, a Mumbai-based environmental non-government organisation.

The MoEFCC has invited comments, objections and suggestions on the draft notification till August end, after which it will come into effect.