Analysis of laws related to coastal management

The December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the rehabilitation efforts thereafter led to several questions related to the influence of laws on coastal communities and coastal environments. There was and continues to be repeated reference to and confusion about coastal laws related to post-tsunami reconstruction, the location or relocation of coastal communities and coastal resource use (sand mining and fisheries development).

Dakshin members were involved in executing the UNDP supported Post-Tsunami Environment Initiative project through ATREE, where a few laws were examined in detail. Specifically, we examined the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 1991, a national legislation designed to regulate coastal development. We examined factors influencing its implementation and the implications of proposed changes to this law, specifically the proposed Coastal Management Zone Notification. The CRZ Notification regulated activities that could take place in an area which is a coveted and contested space. Our analysis of the CRZ Notification revealed not just the poor implementation of this legislation in the tsunami-affected coastal states, but also the presence of conflicting interests (at varying societal scales) and differing perceptions of environmental and social justice provided by this law. The study of the proposed changes to this notification and the processes associated with it reveal that it will perpetuate and exacerbate social and environmental injustice and inequity in development. 

Investigators: Aarthi Sridhar , Sudarshan Rodriguez and Seema Shenoy

Collaborators: Bharat Jairaj, (CAG, Chennai), Manju Menon, (Centre for Policy Studies, JNU and Kalpavriksh, Delhi), Debi Goenka, (BEAG, Mumbai), T. Mohan, (Chennai), Rohan Arthur, (NCF, Mysore), Kartik Shanker (CES, IISc, Bangalore & Dakshin Foundation)

 Publications

Sridhar, A., M. Menon, S. Rodriguez and S., Shenoy. 2008. Coastal Management Zone Notification ‘08 – The Last Nail in the Coffin. ATREE, Bangalore. pp 81.

Menon, M., S. Rodriguez, A. Sridhar. 2007. Coastal Zone Management Notification ‘07 – Better or bitter fare? Economic and Political Weekly. September 22-28 (2007), Vol. XLII (38), pp 3838-3840.

Menon, M., S. Rodriguez, A. Sridhar. 2007. Coastal Zone Management Notification ‘07 – Better or bitter fare?  ATREE, Bangalore. pp 21.

Menon, M. and A. Sridhar. 2007. An appraisal of coastal regulation law in tsunami-affected mainland India. In: Post-Tsunami Ecological and Social Impact Assessments in Mainland India. UNDP, NCF, AREE, CAG.105-149 p.

Sridhar, A., R. Arthur, D. Goenka, B. Jairaj, T. Mohan, S. Rodriguez and K. Shanker. 2006. Review of the Swaminathan Committee Report on the CRZ Notification, Draft submitted to UNDP, New Delhi. URL: http://www.undp.org.in/dmweb/tsunami; accessed 20th May 2006.

Sridhar A., 2005. Statement on the CRZ Notification and Post Tsunami Rehabilitation in Tamil Nadu. UNDP Discussion Paper, New Delhi, India.