ICZMP goes awry in trouble-torn Odisha coast
MONDAY, 19 MARCH 2012 22:58
COLUMN: DEVELOPMENT DEFICIT
BY SUDARSHAN CHHOTORAY
The Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) project which is being
implemented in the State since 2010 as a pilot project seems to be a
non starter as it is lacking clarity on many fronts from
inter-sectoral collaboration to decentralisation of management
responsibility and accountability.
The Rs 227-crore World Bank-aided project under the Union Ministry of
Environment and Forests (MoEF), which has initially targeted for 160
km coastal stretch of Odisha in two segments from Gopalpur to Chilika
and Paradeep to Dhamra, has failed to identify key coastal issues like
sea erosion, livelihood, habitat loss and pollution. Rather, due to
lack of clarity on regulatory framework, institutional structure and
mechanism, besides the basic differences on coastal zone management
and Integrated Coastal Zone Management fuel controversies.
Though the project is in its initial stages of implementation but
rapid urbanisation and industrialisation along the coast, growing
conflicts, competitions and degradation of coastal ecosystem have
posed severe management challenges, which need to be of utmost
importance as far as conservation is concerned.
However, the entire coast is getting stressed on account of human
interventions, development projects and climate change. Apart from
these, the other key drivers of coastal change are ports, harbours,
tourism, agriculture, horticulture, salt production, energy (power
plants), aquaculture, industries and urbanisation, etc. Odisha has
planned to bring 12 more ports besides raising capacity of the three
existing major ports at Paradeep, Gopalpur and Dhamra. These port
projects are part of the proposed 187 ports in the country.
Environmentalists have expressed serious reservations on these port
proposals.
A number of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and mega industrial projects
like Posco, Vedanta University, nuclear plants and tourism circuits
are coming up in Odisha coast. All the mega projects either directly
contravene the basic objectives of the ICZM Project or challenge the
basic edifice of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan (ICZMP).
Interestingly, most vulnerable coastal stretches like Chilika to
Paradeep, Gopalpur to Sonepur and Dhamra to Digha have been left out
from ICZMP. Four major plans have been envisaged under the project for
management of shoreline, pollution, disaster and resources besides
taking up issues like tourism, fisheries and climate change. And, it
has been proposed that all these plans need to be approved by village
panchayat, District Coastal Zone Management Authority and State
Coastal Zone Management Authority. Involvements of NGOs, CBOs and
finalisation of institutional structures have been stressed.
Meanwhile, many beneficiaries have doubted the success of the
implementation of the projects as many of their components do not suit
them. Rather, they create more conflicts among the targeted groups.
Instead of reviving the old STEP groups and SHGs which were formed
under various supports and sponsored schemes of both the Union and
State Governments, the State Project Management Unit (SPMU) is forming
its own groups, providing training and sponsoring exposure visits,
which have become expensive and unnecessary.
Further, Integrated Coastal Zone Management Society of Odisha (ICOMS)
under the State Forest and Environment department has attempted to
re-implement sea weed, coral reef and related failed schemes or
projects which were experimented earlier in Chilika by reinvesting in
them.
The ICZMP talks about erosion, conservation, eco-tourism, heritage
preservation, pollution control and livelihood security but it is
short of a protection mechanism for endangered coastal villages, save
a plan to set up a Geo-Synthetic Wall worth Rs 19 crore at Penth
village near Rajnagar to check erosion. It has no proposal for
villages like Podampeta and Ramayapatna in Ganjam or Satabhaya in
Kendrapara, the villages which are still facing the wrath of the
nature. Starting from the northern coasts of Odisha to the southern
coasts, many villages have been the victims of the wrath of ocean.
The Odisha Government’s Draft Climate Change Action Plan with a huge
budget of Rs 17,000 crore seeks to help industries more by reducing
their expenditure on adapting to climate change, while providing
hardly any fund for the victims of climate change at Saatabhaya. In
2005, the Centre had included many seaside villages under another
World Bank assisted scheme ‘National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Programme
(NCRMP).’ The idea was to build shelter belts to save the seaside
villages and towns from the onslaught of cyclones, storms, tidal waves
or even tsunami etc. But yet there is no information on how far these
projects worked to the extent of protecting the coastal villages.
Amidst all these, the basic purpose of the ICZMP which is people’s
participation in project implementation is yet to be realised.
Basically, the primary stakeholders like fishermen, salt workers,
turtle savers and artisans of the coastal areas were not invited for
the National Workshop on ICZM Planning which was held on March 16 and
17 at Bhubaneswar. That’s the reason National Fish workers Forum (NFF)
has already submitted a memorandum to the Government of India to
withdraw the project, which according to them will pave the way for
privatising the coastal resources thereby threatening the livelihood
of millions of marine fishermen.
At a time when industrialists are queuing up to penetrate into Odisha,
nobody is concerned over the extreme climatic condition of the State.
Odisha is experiencing the most extreme climatic condition for a
decade like heat wave, cyclone, drought and flood. Sustainable
development requires protection of livelihood of locals, facilitating
income generating activities and considering environment and
ecological concerns thus ensuring the safety of the biodiversity and
ecosystem. But, while designing the development policies and
programmes, we take less or little care of the ecological concerns.
Odisha coast which is the home to 26.37 per cent of State’s population
and 18.25 per cent of State’s geographical area coupled with its 482
km long coastline spread over six coastal districts is endowed with
rich natural resources along with fisheries, mines, minerals and
forest. The untapped and unexplored coastal resources are constantly
falling prey to climatic vagaries, natural disasters and ill-conceived
development projects.
For millions of rural artisans and coastal communities now face the
dual threats of growing degradation of natural resources and
increasing Government control over resources and ecological services.
As a result, they have been living with constant fear of nature’s fury
and fast loss of their livelihood. That’s why the known developed and
dominant coastal region has the poverty ratio of 32 per cent against
the State’s average 47 per cent.
Development projects are good only when they engage with communities
and beneficial for local population. Sometimes unsustainable ways of
planning and setting up projects without community consents have paved
the way for more conflicts and alienations. Such has been the
situation in the coastal areas in the State. Thousands of coastal
artisans, salt workers and fishermen have left the area for Surat,
Mumbai, Kerala and Bengalure etc in search of alternative jobs.
The situation further aggravated following illegal land encroachment
by prawn mafias and intervention of non-fishermen in fishing
activities. It has been a day-to-day affair in Ganjam where people
come in contact with deadly chlorine gas. Despite several
notifications, the caustic soda plant Jayashree Chemicals is releasing
chlorine gas almost daily. Hundreds of gas victims have petitioned
against the plant demanding its closure. Even the Rushikulya sea mouth
known as the second largest nesting site for Olive Ridley turtles is
not spared as liquidified chemical wastes of the plant go straight to
the sea from this channel. Survey undertaken by Geological Survey of
India found mercury content in Historic Palur Saheb Canal.
-The writer is a senior freelance journalist
PUBLISHED IN THE PIONEER ON 20TH MARCH 2012
http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/50948-iczmp-goes-awry-in-\
trouble-torn-odisha-coast.html
MONDAY, 19 MARCH 2012 22:58
COLUMN: DEVELOPMENT DEFICIT
BY SUDARSHAN CHHOTORAY
The Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) project which is being
implemented in the State since 2010 as a pilot project seems to be a
non starter as it is lacking clarity on many fronts from
inter-sectoral collaboration to decentralisation of management
responsibility and accountability.
The Rs 227-crore World Bank-aided project under the Union Ministry of
Environment and Forests (MoEF), which has initially targeted for 160
km coastal stretch of Odisha in two segments from Gopalpur to Chilika
and Paradeep to Dhamra, has failed to identify key coastal issues like
sea erosion, livelihood, habitat loss and pollution. Rather, due to
lack of clarity on regulatory framework, institutional structure and
mechanism, besides the basic differences on coastal zone management
and Integrated Coastal Zone Management fuel controversies.
Though the project is in its initial stages of implementation but
rapid urbanisation and industrialisation along the coast, growing
conflicts, competitions and degradation of coastal ecosystem have
posed severe management challenges, which need to be of utmost
importance as far as conservation is concerned.
However, the entire coast is getting stressed on account of human
interventions, development projects and climate change. Apart from
these, the other key drivers of coastal change are ports, harbours,
tourism, agriculture, horticulture, salt production, energy (power
plants), aquaculture, industries and urbanisation, etc. Odisha has
planned to bring 12 more ports besides raising capacity of the three
existing major ports at Paradeep, Gopalpur and Dhamra. These port
projects are part of the proposed 187 ports in the country.
Environmentalists have expressed serious reservations on these port
proposals.
A number of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and mega industrial projects
like Posco, Vedanta University, nuclear plants and tourism circuits
are coming up in Odisha coast. All the mega projects either directly
contravene the basic objectives of the ICZM Project or challenge the
basic edifice of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan (ICZMP).
Interestingly, most vulnerable coastal stretches like Chilika to
Paradeep, Gopalpur to Sonepur and Dhamra to Digha have been left out
from ICZMP. Four major plans have been envisaged under the project for
management of shoreline, pollution, disaster and resources besides
taking up issues like tourism, fisheries and climate change. And, it
has been proposed that all these plans need to be approved by village
panchayat, District Coastal Zone Management Authority and State
Coastal Zone Management Authority. Involvements of NGOs, CBOs and
finalisation of institutional structures have been stressed.
Meanwhile, many beneficiaries have doubted the success of the
implementation of the projects as many of their components do not suit
them. Rather, they create more conflicts among the targeted groups.
Instead of reviving the old STEP groups and SHGs which were formed
under various supports and sponsored schemes of both the Union and
State Governments, the State Project Management Unit (SPMU) is forming
its own groups, providing training and sponsoring exposure visits,
which have become expensive and unnecessary.
Further, Integrated Coastal Zone Management Society of Odisha (ICOMS)
under the State Forest and Environment department has attempted to
re-implement sea weed, coral reef and related failed schemes or
projects which were experimented earlier in Chilika by reinvesting in
them.
The ICZMP talks about erosion, conservation, eco-tourism, heritage
preservation, pollution control and livelihood security but it is
short of a protection mechanism for endangered coastal villages, save
a plan to set up a Geo-Synthetic Wall worth Rs 19 crore at Penth
village near Rajnagar to check erosion. It has no proposal for
villages like Podampeta and Ramayapatna in Ganjam or Satabhaya in
Kendrapara, the villages which are still facing the wrath of the
nature. Starting from the northern coasts of Odisha to the southern
coasts, many villages have been the victims of the wrath of ocean.
The Odisha Government’s Draft Climate Change Action Plan with a huge
budget of Rs 17,000 crore seeks to help industries more by reducing
their expenditure on adapting to climate change, while providing
hardly any fund for the victims of climate change at Saatabhaya. In
2005, the Centre had included many seaside villages under another
World Bank assisted scheme ‘National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Programme
(NCRMP).’ The idea was to build shelter belts to save the seaside
villages and towns from the onslaught of cyclones, storms, tidal waves
or even tsunami etc. But yet there is no information on how far these
projects worked to the extent of protecting the coastal villages.
Amidst all these, the basic purpose of the ICZMP which is people’s
participation in project implementation is yet to be realised.
Basically, the primary stakeholders like fishermen, salt workers,
turtle savers and artisans of the coastal areas were not invited for
the National Workshop on ICZM Planning which was held on March 16 and
17 at Bhubaneswar. That’s the reason National Fish workers Forum (NFF)
has already submitted a memorandum to the Government of India to
withdraw the project, which according to them will pave the way for
privatising the coastal resources thereby threatening the livelihood
of millions of marine fishermen.
At a time when industrialists are queuing up to penetrate into Odisha,
nobody is concerned over the extreme climatic condition of the State.
Odisha is experiencing the most extreme climatic condition for a
decade like heat wave, cyclone, drought and flood. Sustainable
development requires protection of livelihood of locals, facilitating
income generating activities and considering environment and
ecological concerns thus ensuring the safety of the biodiversity and
ecosystem. But, while designing the development policies and
programmes, we take less or little care of the ecological concerns.
Odisha coast which is the home to 26.37 per cent of State’s population
and 18.25 per cent of State’s geographical area coupled with its 482
km long coastline spread over six coastal districts is endowed with
rich natural resources along with fisheries, mines, minerals and
forest. The untapped and unexplored coastal resources are constantly
falling prey to climatic vagaries, natural disasters and ill-conceived
development projects.
For millions of rural artisans and coastal communities now face the
dual threats of growing degradation of natural resources and
increasing Government control over resources and ecological services.
As a result, they have been living with constant fear of nature’s fury
and fast loss of their livelihood. That’s why the known developed and
dominant coastal region has the poverty ratio of 32 per cent against
the State’s average 47 per cent.
Development projects are good only when they engage with communities
and beneficial for local population. Sometimes unsustainable ways of
planning and setting up projects without community consents have paved
the way for more conflicts and alienations. Such has been the
situation in the coastal areas in the State. Thousands of coastal
artisans, salt workers and fishermen have left the area for Surat,
Mumbai, Kerala and Bengalure etc in search of alternative jobs.
The situation further aggravated following illegal land encroachment
by prawn mafias and intervention of non-fishermen in fishing
activities. It has been a day-to-day affair in Ganjam where people
come in contact with deadly chlorine gas. Despite several
notifications, the caustic soda plant Jayashree Chemicals is releasing
chlorine gas almost daily. Hundreds of gas victims have petitioned
against the plant demanding its closure. Even the Rushikulya sea mouth
known as the second largest nesting site for Olive Ridley turtles is
not spared as liquidified chemical wastes of the plant go straight to
the sea from this channel. Survey undertaken by Geological Survey of
India found mercury content in Historic Palur Saheb Canal.
-The writer is a senior freelance journalist
PUBLISHED IN THE PIONEER ON 20TH MARCH 2012
http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/50948-iczmp-goes-awry-in-\
trouble-torn-odisha-coast.html
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