[Answered] “There has been large-scale encroachment and illegal constructions going on around Coastal Regulatory Zones.” Discuss it’s consequences and impact.

Illegal constructions and encroachment in the coastal areas has far reaching impacts on the society and it creates many disturbances in the social wellbeing of the people in the area. There has been an indiscriminate violation of Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) rules in recent times. These have unintended consequences on environment and economy around the region. The tremendous population increase puts a heavy burden on the coastal zone requiring careful management.

Consequences and Impact of large scale encroachment around CRZ:

1. This would cause Coastal pollution and impact the coastal and estuarine ecosystems.
2. Environmental issues include the enrichment of enclosed waters with organic matter leading to eutrophication and pollution by industrial chemicals and oil.
3. About million people rely on coastal and marine ecosystems, habitats and resources for food, building materials, building sites, and agricultural and recreational areas, encroachment would endanger their livelihoods and sustainability.
4. The encroachment would put pressure on the living and non-living resources of the coastal zone, due to urbanization, industrialisation, and transportation.
5. It further impacts on the marine environment beyond traditional sewage and waste, adding things like increased risk of disasters, excessive noise levels and thermal pollution.
6. Construction engineering activities often cause permanent destruction of habitats or decrease and fragmentation of habitats, due to land claim, coastal protection, extraction of bottom material, dumping and disposal.
7. The main impacts on marine ecosystems are disturbance and removal of benthic organisms, damage to spawning areas for fish, alteration of the seabed, destabilisation of shallow banks and increased erosion.
8. The present study reveals that there has been an increase in the instances of conflicts in the area. Majority of the people who engage in the illegal encroachment are with criminal backgrounds. They force the people in different ways to sell of their lands and those who oppose them are attacked.
9. Severe beach erosion is a problem most common due to encroachment. Changes to the shoreline have been extensive in recent decades and threats from rising sea levels and sinking landmasses have required the development of new coastal management strategies.
10. Flow of fresh water and materials to the coastal zone has been grossly altered by Illegal encroachment. Issue is management of water, as the seasonal pattern of discharge has been greatly modified.
11. The coastlines due to encroachment face high risks of damage from certain types of natural disasters. A major concern is death and property loss by winds and flooding by cyclones.

The consequences of encroachment in coastal ecosystems may have consequences at large level leading to an unbalance in fluxes of energy and minerals at the interface between land and sea. Because coastal systems are alive, they are unable to cope with rapid changes of any sorts. Unless strict action would not be taken, Coastal communities and ecosystem would remain vulnerable to illegal activities.