India: The field survey for the new coastal zone management plan for Indian city of Mumbai has been completed, including the demarcation of mangrove areas.
In a recent report on the progress of the preparation of maps for various state”s coastal districts, IRS Chennai, which is carrying out the mapping in Mumbai, said that while field survey is yet to be done in the defence and BARC-controlled areas, the high-tide line demarcation has largely been completed. The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) has directed the agency to prepare the local level draft plan within six months.
The last such plan for Mumbai was prepared in 1998-99 and approved by the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) in 2000. The new plan is mandatory under the Coastal Regulation Zone notification 2011 for all states and union territories. The MoEF has set a 24-month deadline to complete the exercise.
In Thane district, field survey has been completed in the Vasai-Virar region and the plan will be submitted in 10 months. The Centre for Earth Science Studies, Kerala, which is preparing the plan for the district, has been directed to submit it within 10 months.
The Raigad district local level draft plan is complete and will be submitted in two months, the MCZMA was informed. In Ratnagiri district, nearly 80 per cnet field survey is done and the plan will be submitted in nine months. The agency has been allowed nine months to submit the draft plan.
The survey is yet to start in Sindhudurg. Once the draft plans are submitted, the authority will invite objections and suggestions, incorporate them into the plan and submit it to the ministry.
MCZMA officials said the draft plans were to be submitted by December 31.
Source: TOI
