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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

KCA may have to pay up to restore mangroves


Under a cloud: The proposed site for an international cricket stadium of the KCA at Pampayimoola near Edakochi.

Penalty will be decided as per the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986

KOCHI: The Kerala State Coastal Zone Management Authority will soon impose a penalty on the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) towards the expenses required for restoration of a 23-acre (9.3-hectare) mangrove-rich site identified for setting up an international cricket stadium at Edakochi.

The move is part of the follow-up action being initiated by the authority after Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh made it clear on Monday that his Ministry would not give clearance for the stadium project.

Sources in the authority said the penalty would be decided as per provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 after assessing the extent of damage inflicted by the association on the site. The final decision on the exact fine to be collected will be announced next week.

The authority will prepare an action plan on how to bring back the site to its original condition.

The authority had used time-series satellite images compiled by the Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS) to assess the ecological damage on the mangroves in the area, which comes under the Coastal Regulation Zone-1. In its report, scientists at CESS pointed out that the area consisted of filtration ponds and ‘pokkali' fields. The extent of mangroves increased significantly from 0.9 hectare in September 2001 to 1.7 hectares in December 2005 and to 5.2 hectares in January 2010.

Photographic evidence showed thick mangrove vegetation in early September 2010, most of which was seen removed by the end of that month. The authority found that the site proposed for the stadium consisted of inundated areas subjected to tidal action. Experts said that it was located on the western bank of the Edakochi Kayal, part of the Vembanad backwater system (one of the Ramsar sites in Kerala).

On a Ramsar site, reclamation and any construction of permanent nature, except boat jetties, within 50 metres of the mean flood level is prohibited as per the Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules formulated under the Environment (Protection) Act.

G. Krishnakumar

The report published in The Hindu dated 15-6-2011
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1 comment:

  1. CNHSJune 15, 2011 at 2:55 PM

    Dear Prasanth,

    Thanks for posting the reports.Keep up the spirit,
    Warm Regards,
    Vishnu

    ReplyDelete

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