National coastal body allows Goa to mark HTL along bunds in CZMP

PANAJI: In a major relief to people living along river banks and estuaries, the National Coastal Zone Management Authority (NCZMA) recently accepted the state government’s request to demarcate the high tide line (HTL) along bunds and not around mangroves in khazan lands for the coastal zone management plan (CZMP).
It, however, rejected the state’s plea seeking reduction of the no-development zone (NDZ) for headlands to 10 metres.
A number of village panchayats and municipalities had earlier demanded that the HTL be demarcated along bunds and not around mangroves. They had even submitted their respective CZMPs to the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA).
“In case there exists a bund or a sluice gate constructed in the past, prior to the date of the (Coastal Regulation Zone) notification issued in 1991, the HTL shall be restricted to the line along the bund or the sluice gate. In such a case, area under mangroves arising due to saline water ingress beyond the bund or sluice gate shall be classified as CRZ-1A, irrespective of the extent of the area beyond the bund or sluice gate,” NCZMA’s proposed amendment reads.
Restore bunds & sluice gates, national coastal body tells state
During a presentation to the national authority, the GCZMA had highlighted the impact breached bunds have had on CRZ boundaries in khazan lands that are eco-sensitive, low-lying areas traditionally not influenced by tidal action. It had consequently demanded that the demarcation of HTL in khazan lands that have been inundated due to breach of bunds be dropped, and that the HTL be restricted up to the bunds and be mapped as such.
After deliberating over the issue, the NCZMA agreed that where khazan lands were concerned, the HTL should be restricted to the bund or sluice gate while maintaining the classification of mangrove areas as CRZ-IA. As per the minutes of the meeting, it insisted that mangroves remain untouched and protected. Since this would require an amendment to CRZ regulations, the same may be done appropriately, it stated.
The NCZMA also directed the state government to immediately restore bunds and sluice gates and ensure proper operation and maintenance of the same.
With regard to the state’s request to reduce the NDZ in CRZ-III areas (coastal areas having headlands), the NCZMA said the eventuality of landslides or natural calamities in the case of headlands needed to be understood and appreciated. It therefore held that reducing the NDZ to 10 metres in such areas may be too less considering the safety aspect.
The authority, however, stated that if the state government furnished details of such headlands and information of their geomorphological stability over the past 50 years, the matter could be revisited at a later stage.