S.O. 4886(E), Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2019 Amendment
The Government of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued notification number S.O. 4886(E), dated 26 November 2021, to amend the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2019. It clarifies High Tide Line treatment near older bunds or sluice gates, protects mangroves beyond them, provides specific mapping rules for the Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve, and allows traditional communities to collect dead shells for specified uses without prior Coastal Regulation Zone clearance.
What the notification changes
The Government of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued notification number S.O. 4886(E), dated 26 November 2021, to add provisions that had been left out of the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2019. The notification states that these provisions had already existed under the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2011, and that no fresh restriction or prohibition was being imposed.
The changes concern High Tide Line mapping, mangrove protection, Coastal Regulation Zone mapping in the Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve, and collection of dead shells by traditional communities.
High Tide Line and older coastal barriers
Notification number S.O. 4886(E) defines the High Tide Line as the line on land reached by the highest water level during spring tide. It must be mapped by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management under the prescribed procedures and made available to coastal States and Union territories.
Key provisions are:
- Where a bund or sluice gate was constructed before 19 February 1991, the High Tide Line is restricted to the line running along that bund or sluice gate.
- Mangroves created by saline water entering land beyond such a bund or sluice gate must still be classified as CRZ-IA, regardless of the size of the mangrove area.
- These mangrove areas must be protected and cannot be diverted for development activities.
For a buyer or owner assessing coastal land, the presence and construction date of a bund or sluice gate may therefore affect High Tide Line mapping. Mangroves beyond the barrier remain protected.
Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve
Notification number S.O. 4886(E) requires Coastal Regulation Zone categorisation and the mapping of the High Tide Line and Coastal Regulation Zone boundaries in the Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve to follow the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2019.
The Critically Vulnerable Coastal Area within the Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve must be managed through an Integrated Management Plan prepared by the State Government and approved by the Central Government. This provision is specific to the Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve.
Dead shell collection
Notification number S.O. 4886(E) provides that traditional communities do not need prior Coastal Regulation Zone clearance to collect dead shells for poultry feed and animal feed supplements. The exemption stated in the notification is limited to this collection and these specified uses.
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Common questions
Does this notification remove Coastal Regulation Zone restrictions from land behind a bund?
No. It changes how the High Tide Line is treated where a bund or sluice gate was built before 19 February 1991, but mangroves beyond it must still be classified as CRZ-IA and protected from development.
Who is responsible for mapping the High Tide Line?
The National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management maps the High Tide Line under the prescribed procedures and makes it available to coastal States and Union territories.
Do traditional communities need prior Coastal Regulation Zone clearance to collect dead shells?
No prior Coastal Regulation Zone clearance is required when traditional communities collect dead shells for poultry feed or animal feed supplements.
Does the Sundarbans provision apply to coastal property in Tamil Nadu?
The special provision on Coastal Regulation Zone categorisation, boundary mapping and the Integrated Management Plan is specifically for the Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve.
