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Content

• Protection of Coastal Region
• Blue FLag Beaches
• Coastal Erosion
• Bioluminescence

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1) PROTECTION OF COASTAL REGION

• ­Introduction
  • Coastal zones are places of enormous ecological, cultural, social and economic significance. They contain unique and sensitive ecosystem of great natural and economic value and is home to numerous endangered species. The region also serves as home to 50% of the world’s population and generated 40% of the global economic activities.
• Key Problems Faced by Coastal Regions: Recent decades have seen drastic increase in population, rapid industrialization, increased pollution and climate change. All these factors have negatively hampered the coastal region.
  • Along much of the earth’s coast a warming climate and sea level rise are already negatively affecting natural ecosystems and human communities
  • Coastal Erosion has started hampering a number of coastal E.g. Vishakhapatnam
  • Rapid Industrialization and Deforestation
  • Pollution due to mining, municipal waste disposal and industrial waste disposal are also leading to environmental problems in coastal regions.
  • Invasive Species -> Biodiversity loss
• Efforts by India to Protect Coastal Regions

A) COASTAL REGULATION ZONE

• CRZ notification is issued under the Environmental Protection Act, 1986 for regulation of activities in the coastal area by the MoEF&CC. The first CRZ was issued, in 1991 which was replaced by the 2003 and then by 2011 notification.
• It classifies the coastal land upto 500 m from the HTL and a stage of 100 m along the banks of creeks, estuaries, backwater and river subject to tidal fluctuations as the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ). The CRZ are further classified in four categories:
  • CRZ-1 are ecologically sensitive
    • CRZ 1-A constitute the ecologically sensitive area and the geomorphological features which play a role in maintaining the integrity of the coast viz: Mangroves, corals, sand dunes, salt marshes, national parks, WLS, Reserved forests, nesting grounds for turtles, birds etc.
    • CRZ 1-B consist of inter-tidal zones (between HTL and LTL)
  • CRZ-2 are areas that have been developed upto or close to the Unauthorized structures are not allowed in this zone.
  • CRZ-3 are areas that are relatively undisturbed (both urban and rural)
  • CRZ-4 are areas covered between Low Tide Line and 12 nautical miles seaward
• CRZ Notification, 2018: Easing of Norms for CRZ approved by Cabinet (Dec 2018)
  • The comprehensive review was necessitated because of demands of various stakeholders to review the CRZ notification, 2011 as it was hindering developmental activities.
  • Aimed at streamlining of CRZ clearances and promoting economic growth while keeping in mind conservation principles of coastal regions.
  • The notification is based on the recommendations of the Shailesh Nayak (former secretary, Ministry of Earth Science) headed committee.
• Key Changes
  • Delegation of Project Clearance Power to State Governments.
    • Only Projects in CRZ-1 and CRZ-IV will require permission from Union Ministry. The Powers to clear projects in CRZ-2 and CRZ-3 have been delegated to State Governments
  • Defreezing of Floor Area Ratio (FAR) in construction norms
    • Earlier, for CRZ-2, it was frozen to 1991 Development Control Regulation (DCR) levels, Now, it will be based on laws which are in vogue.
  • Relaxation of No Development Zone (NDZ) criteria
    • Densely populated (density > 2,161 per sq km) rural areas (under CRZ-III) referred as CRZ-III-A, now have a NDZ of 50 m from the High Tide Line (HTL) as against earlier 200 meters.
    • Further, for island close to the mainland coast and for all backwater islands the new NDZ is 20 m.
  • To fight pollution, treatment facilities have been made permissible activity in CRZ-I B area, subject to necessary safeguards.
  • Steps to Facilitate Tourism:
    • Permission of temporary tourism facilities such as shacks, toilet blocks, change rooms, drinking water facilities etc, in beaches even in the NDZ of the CRZ-III.

2) BLUE FLAG BEACHES

• Why in news?
  • Two more Indian Beaches enter the coveted list of Blue Beaches (Oct 2022)
• The iconic blue flag is one of the world’s most recognized voluntary eco-labels awarded to beaches, marinas, and sustainable boating tourism operators.
  • The Blue flag program was started in France in 1985 and in areas out of Europe in 2001.
  • The certification is provided by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).
  • To get blue flag certification 33 stringent criteria under four major heads should be met and mantained.
    • Environment Education and Information
    • Bathing Water Quality
    • Environment Management and Conservation
    • Safety and Services
• Spain with 620+ blue flag beaches have highest number of blue flag beaches in the world.
• ­Blue Flag Beaches in India
  • As of Jan 2024, 12 Indian beaches have blue flag certifications.
  • Two Beaches – Minicoy Thundi Beach and Kadmat Beach – both in Lakshadweep were awarded the certification in Oct 2022.
    • The Thundi Beach is one of the most pristine and picturesque beaches in Lakshadweep archipelago where white sand is lined with turquoise blue water of the lagoon. It is a paradise for swimmers and tourists alike
    • The Kadmat beach is specially popular with cruise tourists.
    • Both these beaches comply with all 33 criteria mandated by the Foundation for Environment and Education.
  • Two beaches – the Eden Beach in Puducherry and Kovalam Beach in Tamil Nadu were awarded Blue Flag certification in Sep 2021.
  • Eight Beaches under blue flag certification earlier were: Kappad (Kerala), Shivrajpur (Gujarat), Ghoghla (Diu), Kasakod and Padubidri (Karnataka), Rushikonda (Andhra Pradesh), Golden (Odisha) and Radhanagar (Andaman and Nicobar Islands)

 3) COASTAL EROSION

• ­Introduction:
  • Coastal erosion refers to wearing a way of land and the removal of beach and dune sediments by wave action, tidal currents, drainage or high winds.
  • Wave action is the main cause of coastal erosion. Wave energy is a result of three factors: the speed of the wind blowing over the surface of the sea; the length of fetch; and the length of time the wind has been blowing.
• Causes of Coastal Erosion can be divided into two broad categories: Natural or Manmade:
  1. Natural Causes:
     • These include waves, winds, tides, near shore currents, sea level rise etc.
     • Another major natural factor is phenomenon of subsidence. It is a regional phenomenon that lowers the surface area in a specific region.
     • Catastrophic events like severe storms, tidal surges, and cyclones can cause severe erosion.
  2. Manmade Factors:
     1. Infrastructure creation in coastal regions: For g., building houses via land reclamation or within sand dune areas.
     2. Sand removal above replenishable quantities from the coast upsets the longshore sand transport budget and can result in erosion.
     3. Coral Mining and other means of damaging protective corals may cause beach degradation.
     4. Structures like seawalls, breakwaters also have a side effect as it increases erosion of adjacent areas.
     5. Deforestation: Damaging of mangroves and other coastal vegetation is a major
     6. Climate Change which is mostly human induced is leading to sea level rise which is eroding more and more coastal regions.
     7. Unscientific Coastal Management
• Factors that influence Erosion Rates
  • The ability of waves to cause erosion of the cliff face depends on many factors.
    • Primary Factors
      • Erodibility of sea facing rock is controlled by rock strength and the presence of fissures, fractures, and beds of non-cohesive materials such as silt and fine sand.
      • Power of the waves
      • Beaches ( they dissipate wave energy on the foreshore and provide a measure of protection to adjoining land)
      • The Adjacent bathymetry, or configuration of the sea floor, controls the way energy arriving at the coast, and can have an important influence on the rate of cliff erosion.
    • Secondary Factors
      • Weathering and transport slope
      • Slope Hydrology
      • Vegetation
      • Human Activity
      • Resistance of cliff foot sediment to attrition and transport.
• ­Impact of Coastal Erosion
  • Floods including worsening impact of high tide
    • Saltwater penetration into rivers, coastal agriculture plains
• ­Coastal Erosion Control Strategies: There are three coastal erosion control methods.
• Soft Erosion Controls/ Non-Structural Methods
  • These methods are temporary options of slowing the effects of
    • Artificial nourishment of beaches
    • Coastal Vegetation such as mangrove and palm plantation
    • Dune Reconstruction/rehabilitation
    • Other options are beach scraping and beach bulldozing which allows for the creation of artificial dunes in front of building or as means of preserving building
• Most common method is the Beach nourishment
  • It involves placing additional sand on a beach to serve as a buffer against erosion or to enhance the recreational value of the beach.
  • Because nourishment doesn’t stop erosion, it has to be repeated to maintain the beach.
  • Advantages
    • Restores and widens recreational beach
    • Beach nourishment doesn’t leave hazards on the beach or on the surf zone.
  • Disadvantages
    • Erodes faster than natural sand so continuous refurbishing required.
    • Number of Storms affecting the beach makes the life time of the nourishment vary.
    • Expensive, and must be repeated periodically.
    • Process of nourishment may damage, destroy or otherwise hurt marines and beach life by burying it, squishing it under bulldozers, changing the shape of the beach, or making the water near the beach too muddy.
    • Difference in “grain size” of the added sand affect the way waves interact with beach. This will affect surf conditions and bars on the submerged part of the beach.
• ­Hard Erosion Controls/ Structural Measures
  • More permanent solution than soft erosion method.
  • Seawalls and groynes (or groin)/breakwaters serve as permanent infrastructure; Tetrapod-based seawall are also included in the category.
  • Limitations
    • Not immune from normal wear and tear and will need refurbishment or rebuilt
    • Further, as the understanding of natural shoreline function improves, there is a growing acceptance that structural solution can cause more problems than they solve. It interferes with natural water currents, and prevent sand from shifting along coastline.
    • They also cause erosion to adjacent beaches and dunes and lead to unintended diversion of stormwater and waves onto other properties.
  • Combination of the Structural and Non-Structural Methods (i.e. combination of hard erosion control and soft erosion control)
    • This hybrid method reduces limitations of both the methods and provides better efficacy and efficiency.
    • Some of the common approaches of combination are:
      1. Combining Beach nourishment with artificial headlands/groynes.
      2. Revegetation with temporary offshore breakwaters/ Artificial reefs is commonly used.
    • Using a combination of beach nourishment and groynes/artificial headlands promotes the trapping of the downdrift movement of the sediments, thus reducing downdrift erosion. This also reduces the frequency of re-nourishment.
  • Relocation
• Situation of Coastal Erosion in India: Ministry of Earth Sciences has informed the Lok Sabha that about 34% of coastal region in India is under varying degree of erosion.
  • Of the rest, 40% is stable and 26% is accreting in nature.

4) BIOLUMINESCENCE

• Why in news?
  • Vishakhapatnam Beaches are glowing due to a phenomenon called bioluminescence (April 2023)
• ­Details
  • Bioluminescence, the glow of the waves, is caused by tiny marine organisms called Phytoplankton, which emit light on the ocean surface at night.
  • It is best experienced during a moonless night.
• Bioluminescent is widespread among deep sea animals in Many marine creatures like sponges, jellyfish, worms, species of fish, arthropods, echinoderms, and unicellular algae exhibit bioluminescence to either evade predators, attract prey or during mating.
• ­ Why did it happen in Vishakhapatnam?
  • In Vishakhapatnam this phenomenon is most likely the result of algal bloom (Significant accumulation) of the dinoflagellate species of noctiluca and ceratium. These emit light when disturbed by breaking waters. This occurs when the luciferase enzyme reacts with luciferin compound in the presence of oxygen to produce a cold light.

• • Some other beaches in India where this phenomenon is visible are – Havelock Island in the Andamans, Thiruvanmiyur beach in Chennai, Mattu beach in Karnataka and Bangaram Island in Lakshadweep.