Attack On India's Coastline

India’s 7,000 sq. km. coastline is critical to the survival of all those who live within our borders, irrespective of how far they live from the coast. The biodiversity of our coasts survives in a continuum with the inland biodiversity and ecosystems of India and as the planet’s climate continues to become more unstable by the day, protecting our coastal assets is no longer a luxury, it is a survival imperative.

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Unfortunately, both State and Central Government authorities do not fully comprehend the risk to which they place over one billion people when they unthinkingly value commerce over ecological sustainability by violating, tampering and often dismantling some of the finest environmental protection laws, rules and policies laid down by visionary thinkers in decades past.

The original intent behind the establishment of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Rules was to protect coastal ecosystems upon which the livelihoods and dignity of fishing communities are totally dependent. The Coastal Regulation Zone notification (CRZ, 1991) was issued under the Environmental Protection Act, 1986. While a few activities were not banned, most were controlled and a list of regulated projects and actions were listed, and Coastal Regulation Zones (I-IV) were to be identified and demarcated between the High Tide Line and 500 metres towards the landward side.