NGT asks ministry to help draft coastal plans to prevent sinking of islands

New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to help all the coastal states and Union Territories (UT) with scientific drafting of their Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP), to address the problem of submerging of islands, particularly the low-lying ones.

The Principal bench of the NGT headed by chairperson Justice Justice Prakash Shrivastava was hearing the issues related to rising sea levels and the submergence of low-lying islands.

"It is observed that coastal states/UTs are facing various problems, especially with regard to scale of mapping, incorporation of the comments received from the stakeholders in the final draft, issues with regard to the classification of CRZ areas, incorporation of the shoreline management plans and ecological sensitive areas in the final draft. Therefore, they were unable to complete the exercise and comply with the provisions," NGT said.

The NGT had directed the coastal states to come up with a final plan to avoid further dangers. The final plan was to include three plans – the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP), Island Coastal Regulation Zone Plan (ICRZP) and the Integrated Island Management Plan (IIMP) - all in accordance with the Coastal Regulation Zone CRZ-Island Coastal Regulation Zone ICRZ Notification, 2019. Everyone, except Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, filed their replies.

The NGT noted that the MoEF had approved the final plans for the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka but done little for other coasts facing the dangers of sinking.

The tribunal had earlier constituted an expert committee to study the impact of sea level rise on islands and to protect them from submergence, erosion, saline ingression, flooding and other adverse environmental aspects.