Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) includes actions that can lead to effective management of coastal resources and strengthening of the national capacity for comprehensive resources management

Singh, V V

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V. V.Sillgll INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT (ICZM) - A VIABLE APPROACH FOR SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE UTILISATION FROM LARGE MARINE ECOSYSTEM OFF MUMBAI V.V.Singh MlIllibai R. C. oj Celltral Marine Fisheries Research Institllte. MUlIlbai ABSTRACT Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) includes actions that can lead to effective management of ~oaSI<.lI resources and strengthening of the national capacity for comprehensive resources management. We have the regulations like CRZ regulations but there are many considerations in operative implementation of these regulations which innuence the decision making. The proper answers to many conflicting issues lies in research <.lnd monitoring but ucean research is costly and hence it is necessary to have an exchange of data between the institutes and also establish networks among them. The ocean oft' Mumbai has become a major dumping ground thereby affecting the livelihood of fisherfolk and other coastal communities. Hydrographic observations in re lation 10 recurring fish mortalities at Versova frequently pointed to a no oxygen situation in the creek and stressed exigency for new strategies of conservation. Nowa World Bank project plans to shift the sewage discharge 3 to 5 km in the sea and affecting larger marine ecosystem and resources. The proper answers to many conllicting issues lies in ICZM because an appropriate balam:e between environmental and developmental requirements is the need of [he hour and the same has been discussed in the present (,;ommunication. Introduction Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is a dynamic and continuous process by which progress towards sustainable use and development of coastal areas may be achieved. A number of international efforts initiated in 492 IIII/!gralt'd ('oasral l,fJll/' II/(IIWgClIIl'1II - ,,\ \'ia/JfI' appr{l{l('ll.liJr sll ,\"{ailltlhfl' /'(!SOIl(( '/! lI/iliWli(JII the beginning of the present decade were aimed at working towards the development of appropriate strategies and programmes by the year 2000. Relevant docume nts from international fo ra include Chapter 17 of Agenda 21 of the United Nations Confere nce on Environment and Development (United Nations, 1993). the Noordwij k Gu idelines for Integrated Coastal Zone Management (World Bank. 1993). the report of the World Coast Conference (1PCC, (994) and numerOus tec hn ica l reports released by internat ional organizations, inc luding UNEP (1995 ), FAO (Clark , 1992; Boe laert-S uominen and Cillinan, 1994), OECD (1993). IUCN (Pernetta and Eldcr. 1993) and ICZM (1994). Several GESAM I' reports (e.g. GESAMP, 1980, GESAMP 199 1a; GESAMP, 1994) have addressed the interre lationships between the condition of coastal and marine environment and human ac ti vi ties. The ICZM includes an importa nt concept of susfail/able development which impli es that present use of marine envi ronment and its resources shall not prejudice the use and e nj oy ment of that environment and its resources for future generati ons. Past practices that have neglected this princip le are the fundamental ca use of man y current environmental problems. A coastal zone compri ses various systems, including natural systems such as estuaries, wmcrsheds, l:oaslal seas and soc ioeconolTlic systems, such as agri cu ltural and marine prod ucti on systems and urban settlements. Each of these systems has di stinctive properties. A number of developme ntal activiti es provide the typical characteri stics lO the coastal area. which is the subject of management. The basic task of management is to allocate scarce resources among competing (and often contlict ing) users. with the ul timate goal of optimizing the utilization of these resources for the bene fit of the soc iety as a whole. both now and in the future because development illeviTably impli es environmental change. The challenge for marine and coastal zone manage ment is to balance short-term development needs against long term sustainability of ecosystems. habitats and resources such as the range o f choices and opportunities available to the future generations is not dimini shed by the consequences of present deve lopment choices. ICZM is a dynamic process that requires continual updating and amendment and differs from a sectora l programme because it has a syste m perspective and a multi sectoral approach. ICZM ca lls for strengthening of the nalional capacity for comprehensi ve resources management. Suggested nalional measures include multidi sc iplinary studi es, in stitutional body or mechanism for ICZM, continuing monitoring and assess ment. ongoing research programme, policy for accessibility of information, ac ti ve support for local initiati ve, education , training and public awareness and coordination of financial support. 493 V.V.Sillgh Materials aud methods Participatory Rapid Rural Appraisa l (Cruze, 1993 ) approach was adopted to find oul the iss ues; regular coastal environmental monitoring from the creek and nearshore areas in re lation to tisheries was done by following standard methods as a part of ongoing research programme. regu lar meetings and discussions during open sessions held with fi shcrfolk under extension programmes and various integrative activities were undertaken to identify the organizations for linkages. Results and discussion Comprehensive area-specifi c marine management and planning is essential for maintaining the long-term ecological integrity and productivity and economic benefit of coastal regions. Mumbai coasta l area is an unique example where developmental act ivities started much earlier than the other Indi an ci ties but still traditional and cultural practices and va lues are intact and prevalenl among the fisherfolk . Mumbai coastal area (Fig. I ) is a marine ecosystem with two major fi sheries harbours: the Sassoon Docks and the New Ferry Wharf located in the c ity of Mumbai. During the peak fishing season the operative gears from Mumbai are mainly trawls, purse seines. dol nets. gill nets and hooks and lines. • • .. .. I • l'flfm • • • • N r , . 6fm , . ~fin • • • •• • • • . • . , Fig.l Mum bai coastal area 494 There are 23 fi shing villages in the Mumbai district and there is a high degree of co-operation among the fisherfolk here. A number of co-operati ve societies are excellently functioning in the di strict and some of them like from Versova are example for o thers and are recipient of National awards. There had been a thriving creek and nearshore fis hery and major areas in Mumbai included the stretch from Manori-Gorai creek. Versova creek. Mah im creek, Mumbai harbour area to the adjacent Thane c reek. However, the scenario is different now and these areas have thoroughly been investigated and are di sc ussed here in deta il. Environmental researches have shown that Arabian sea off Mumbai has a poor di sso lved oxygen level. It also has a highcr biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) compared to the idea l levels. Moreover, Mumbai produces 2.200 million liters of sewage a day making it India 's number one city in sewage production. A study commissioned in March 1997 by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BM<;:l and cond ucted by the National Env ironmental Engineering Research Institute (NEER I) evaluated environmenta l stalUs of coasra l areas o f Mu'mbai and ranked beaches in decreasing order of c leanliness from Madh to Bandra. luhu , Breach Candy, Versova, Worl i, Dadar, Girgaum and Mahim. The ranking was based on two cri teria - water qualily and aesthetic appeal. Both were ranked separately and then combined to give linal ranki ng. The variety and .. bundance of marine life off Mumbai has suffered alarmingly in the last 30 years. Already fi shermen from Mumbai have to steam more than 3 km into the sea in the hope of better catch. Based on coasta l monitoring. Singh and Raje ( 1998) ha ve stressed the exigency for new strategies of conservaLi on in view of recurring fish morta lities at Versova. Due to coastal pollution in Versova creek only seve n out of twe lve types of li shing nets are now remaining in operat ion and their numbers has been reduced. Considering the fact that coasta l and marine ecosystem provide biologica l, protective and food benefits. Munici pal Corporation of Greater Mumbai has undenaken the ambitious marine outfall projects at Worli and Bandra to di scharge sewage 3 km away from the coastl ine. As thi s World Bank assisted project plans to shift the sewage discharge 3 to 5 km in the sea, it wi ll be affecting larger marine ecosystem and resources though the area which is already poll uted heav il y wi ll ga in some respite. These pipe lines will be discharging 1,490 m liters of sewage a day wh ich wil l not onl y contain the orga nic waste but industrial di scharge from nearly 8,000 industries wi ll also be added to it. There are number of reasons for the nea rshore po ll ution and coastal degradation which affect marine living resources. Some of the imporlant issues apan from those di sc ussed above are degradation of beaches. the large scale 495 v. VSillgfl presence o f plastic bags, immers io n related ecological probl ems during GaneshOlsav cele bratio ns. coastal construction and shipping related issues and soc ial conflicts. We have the regulations like CRZ (Coastal Regulation Zone) notificatio n but the re are many consideratio ns in operative implementation of these regulations which inllue nc" the decision making. The provis ions of the notificati on has the potential to affect the ac ti viti es of numero us indu stries including hote l and touri sm. fish e ri es. construction. rea l estate. ship building and manufac turing sector and infrastructural projects in Mumbai. A time has come that Nat ional Govemment is planning to exte nd the boundaries of the coastal regu lati on zone to the limit of territorial wa ters defined unde r the Maritime Zone Act 1976. unde r proposed ocean regulation zones (ORZ). Centre pro poses to cl amp on ce l1ain activities I processes which will be detrimenta l to the environ ment in the ocea n part o f the coastal zone. However. more regul ations ca use conlli cts among stakeho lde rs and prospective users. Under such conditi ons. a proper answe r mu st be fou nd out. The prope r ;}nswcrs to many conflic ting iss ues li es in research and monitoring but ocean research is costl y and hence it is necessa ry to ha ve an exchange o f data be l ween the institutes located at Mumbai . There are number of organizati o ns or the ir cent~ rs in Mumbai like HNHS (Bombay Natural Hi story Society), IlT (Indian Institute o f Technology). FSI (Fishery Survey o f India ). CMFRI (Ce ntral Marine Fi sheri es Research Institute). NEER I (Nati on;}1 Environmental Engineering Resea rch Institute). e LFE (Central Ins titute of Fi she ries Ed ucation ). SFD (S tate Fishe ries Depa rtment ). PCB (Pollution Contro l Board). various co-operat ive societies e tc. w hich arc related to fi sheries and ocean research. There is an urgt.::nl need to establi sh networks amollg them. The effecti veness of managl!lllt:nt actions to protect the ocean cannOl be assessed without sc ienrific "n"lysis and know ledge. Accordingly. compre hcnsive protection strategies should incorporate scientific princ iples as dec is ion making frequently in volves considerati ons Ot he r than scientific arguments. Even for the Mumbai area dose interaction among sc ienti sts and decision makers is essential and if the ex isting infrastruc ture of a ll national and regional agencies is pooled effecti vel y a viable approac h fo r sustainable resource utili zati on from large marine ecosystem off Mumbai can be worked out. T he pro pe r answers to many confli c ti ng issues lies in ICZM because an appropriate balance between environmental and developmental requirements is the necd of the hour. 496 Acknowledgements The author wishes 10 express hi s sincere thanks to Dr.Kuber Vidyasagar. Ole. MRC of CMFRI. Mumbai. Dr.V.N. Pillai, Head FEMD and Dr.M.Devaraj , Director, CMFRI, Cochin for their encouragement. Help received from Mr.Sujit S.K. in the preparation of figures is also acknowledged. References Boelaert-Suominen. S. and C .Cullinan. 1994. Legal and institutional aspects of inlegrated coastal zone managemenl ill national legi''s lation . Rome. FAO Legal Oftkc. Development Law Service: liSp, Clark , JR. 1992. Integra ted management of wasta I zones. FAa Fi.,h. Tech. Pap. , (327) : 167p. Cruze, F.A., 1993. Participatury rapid rural appraisill : an assessment tool in resource management in coastal communities. aliT oflhe SNI:.'LL. 3#3. : 1-6. GESAMP. 1980. GESAMP (IMO/FAO/UNESCO-LOCIWMOIIAEAlUN/LJNEP joint Group of Experts on the Scientifil: Aspects of Marine Pollution), L 980. Marine pollution implications of coastal area ·development. Rep. SI/ld. GESAMP. (II) : 114p. GESAMP, 1991(1 . GESAMP (IMO/FAO/UNESCO-LOC/WMO/WHOIIAENUNI UNEP joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects o f Marine Pollution) , 1991a. Global strategies for marine environmental protection. Rcp- .)'flul. GESAMP. (45) : 34p. GESAMP. 1994. GESAMP (IMO/FAO/UNESCO- IOC/WMO/WHOIIAENUN/UNEP joint Group of Experts on the Scientitic AspeL~ t s of Marine Environm~nlal Protection). 1994. Guidelines for marine environmental assessment Rep. Slud. GESAMP, (54) : 2Sp. ICZM , 1994. Training manual for Integrated Coastal Zone Management "An analysis for Formulation and Implementation of Coastal Dcvl!lopm..:nt Plans" conducted by Coastal Resources lnsitute. Prince or Songk ln University. Hat- Yai. Thai land, Apr. I 1-29. 1994: pg.var. 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Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) - a viable approach for sustainable resource utilisation from Large Marine Ecosystem off Mumbai

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Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) - a viable approach for sustainable resource utilisation from Large Marine Ecosystem off Mumbai

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