Prof. M.S. Swaminathan Committe on Management of Coastal Zones

MoEF (Ministry of Environment & Forests, Govt. of India) had constituted an expert committee under the chairmanship of Prof. M.S. Swaminathan in July, 2004, to review and make recommendations with regard to implementation and amendments if necessary, of Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 1991.

The Expert Committee submitted its report along with recommendations, which were accepted by the MoEF in April, 2005.

The major recommendations include:Implementation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan rather than uniform regulatory approach

1. Development along the coastal stretches based on the vulnerability of the coast, taking into account the natural and man made hazards
2. Inclusion of the ocean zone for regulation.
3. Setting up of an Institute for Coastal Zone Management to address the policy and legal issues.
4. Abatement of the pollution of coastal areas and marine waters in a time-bound manner. Identification and mapping of the coastal Eco–sensitive areas such as mangroves, corals, and turtle breeding areas.
5. Development of coastal bio-shield.

The MoEF has initiated steps for implementing the above recommendations which include:Preparation of a national action plan for control of pollution of coastal waters from land based activities.

1. Pilot scale studies for demarcation of vulnerability line along identified coastal stretches through scientific organizations namely, Survey of India, Dehradun, Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad and Centre for Earth Science Studies, Thiruvananthapuram.
2. Seeking technical and financial assistance from multilateral agencies for implementing the recommendations pertaining to mapping of ecologically sensitive areas along the coastline, control of pollution in the coastal waters from land based activities and capacity building and institutional development