ROLE OF REMOTE SENSING TO INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT

Shailesh Nayak

Space Applications Centre (ISRO), Ahmedabad 380 015, India.

E-mail: snayakad1@sancharnet.in

Commission VII, Th S 18

KEYWORDS: Remote sensing, coast, ecosystem, application, management

ABSTRACT:

The coastal zone represents varied and highly productive ecosystems such as mangroves, coral reefs, sea grasses and sand dunes. These
ecosystems are under pressure on account of increased anthropogenic activity on the coast, as a result of globalisation. It is necessary to
protect these coastal ecosystems to ensure sustainable development. This requires information on habitats, landforms, coastal processes,
water quality, natural hazards on a repetitive basis. In India, remote sensing data, especially Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) data, having
moderate (23-36 m) to high spatial resolution (6 m), have been used to generate database on various components of coastal environment
of the entire country. However, the moderate resolution data provide macro-level information on 1:250,000 and 1:50,000 scale about the
condition of habitats, type of landforms and areas under erosion and deposition. The major advantage of remote sensing data is
monitoring of change periodically. The combination of moderate and high-resolution data provided detailed coastal land use maps on the
1:25,000-scale for implementing coastal regulation measures. The classification accuracy have been achieved is 85 per cent or better at
90 per cent confidence level. Mangrove areas were classified up to community level through contextual editing. Various zones of coral
reef were identified, however, species level information is not possible to generate using such data. The knowledge about bio-optical
properties of water is vital for coral reef and sea grass bed monitoring. The OCEANSAT I (IRS P4) Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM) data
provide useful information on the phytoplankton and suspended sediments. The information on phytoplankton and sea surface
temperature (SST) has been used to predict potential fishery zones routinely. The information on sediments provides some insight in to
the movement of sediments along the coast. Satellite-derived derived information were integrated with the other collateral information
through GIS to select sites for aquaculture, zoning of coastal zone for regulatory purpose and assess possible impact of sea level rise.
Realising the value of the remote-sensing derived information, the state and central agencies responsible for the conservation of these
ecosystems are increasingly adopting remote sensing data for their routine use.

1. INTRODUCTION
Thus there is an urgent need to conserve the coastal ecosystems
The coastal zone of world is under increasing stress due to and habitats including individual plant species and communities
development of industries, trade and commerce, tourism and so, settlements, recreation, environment and agriculture.
resultant human population growth and migration, and
deteriorating water quality. This region is of very high biological In order to ensure sustainable development, it necessary to
productivity and thus an important component of the global life develop accurate, up-to-date and comprehensive scientific
system. Coastal ecosystems harbour wealth of species and databases on habitats, protected areas, water quality,
genetic diversity, store and cycle nutrients, filter pollutants and environmental indicators and carry out periodic assessment of the
help to protect shorelines from erosion and storms. Marine health of the system. The modern scientific tools of remote
ecosystems play a vital role in regulating climate and they are a sensing, GIS and GPS are extremely valuable in development of
major carbon sink and oxygen source. The industrial development databases and to analyse them in the integrated manner and derive
of coast has resulted in degradation of coastal ecosystems and management action plans. Availability of repetitive, synoptic and
diminishing the living resources of Exclusive Economic Zone multi-spectral data from various satellite platforms, viz. IRS,
(EEZ) in form of coastal and marine biodiversity and LANDSAT, SPOT, have helped to generate information on varied
productivity. More than half population lives within 60 km of the aspects of the coastal and marine environment. Ocean colour data
coast and would rise to almost three quarters by 2020 (Anon, from OCANSAT I OCM, SeaWiFS, MODIS, provide information
1992). Episodic events, such as cyclones, floods, pose serious on biological aspects useful for fisheries and coastal ecosystems.
threat to human life and property in the coastal zone. Human In India, satellite based information has been used for generating
activities also induce certain changes or accelerate the process of inventory on coastal habitats, landforms, coastal land use and
change. shoreline condition, condition assessment of protected areas,
exploration of marine fisheries, mitigation of coastal disasters and sources, both natural and human. The information on loss of tidal
understanding of sediment dynamics. GIS has been used for the wetlands is important as they provide a vital link in the marine
integrating satellite based information for identifying aquaculture energy flow through transfer of solar energy into forms, which are
sites, coastal regulation and environmentally sensitive zones. readily usable by a wide variety of estuarine organisms.

Satellite imagery has immensely helped mapping of coastal

ecosystems and provided estimates of extent and alteration in land
2. ISSUES FOR COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT cover in coastal ecosystem. A baseline information on coastal
habitat (critical/vital) and associated shore land features along the
The following issues are critical in context of coastal zone entire Indian coast on 1:250,000/1:50,000 scale has been carried
management (Nayak, 2000). out through visual interpretation of multi-spectral IRS LISS II and
LISS III and LANDSAT TM data for macro-level planning for
Coastal ecosystems and marine living resources the first time (Nayak et al. 1991, Jagtap et al. 2001, Nayak, 2002).
i) Generation of reference or baseline data, Low-tide image of period December-February was used. Image-
conservation and restoration of vital and critical interpretation key was developed to identify various components
habitats such as mangroves, coral reefs, sea-grass of the ecosystem. The degradation of mangroves (about 25 per
beds, etc. cent) and coral reefs, reclamation of lagoons and mudflats was
ii) Reclamation of wetland for agricultural and observed (Desai et al. 1991, Nayak et al. 1992 a, Nayak, 1996,).
industrial purposes Classification accuracy of 85 per cent at 90 per cent confidence
iii) Exploration and sustainable use of living resources level was achieved. Synergistic use of SAR and optical data
improve distinction of wetlands (Kushwaha, 2000). Attempts are
being made to use interferometric SAR to study small elevation
Shoreline protection changes in the inter-tidal zone (Cracknell, 1999).
i) Identification of vulnerable areas including eroded
areas and developmental activities
3.2 Mangroves
ii) Planning and implementation of coastal protection
work (erosion, flood protection, salt water Mangroves help in the production of detritus, organic matter,
intrusion, etc.) recycling of nutrients and thus enrich the coastal waters and
iv) Impact of engineering structures and dams on support benthos population of sea. Mangroves cover about
coastal processes of erosion, deposition and 200,000 sq km areas on the globe, mainly around tropics. It has
sediment transport been estimated that half of the world mangroves may have been
v) Suspended sediment dynamics lost. The Forest Survey of India has been providing estimates of
vi) Changes in bottom topography mangroves based on satellite data since 1987. However, in some
regions, mangroves have increased due to plantation as well as
Coastal water quality regeneration. In India, mangroves have reduced from 6740 to
i) Non-point and point pollution 4460 sq. km (Nayak, 1992). Mangroves are degraded and
ii) Phytoplankton blooms destroyed due to conversion of these areas for agriculture,
aquaculture on the East Coast and industrial purposes on the West
Coastal Hazards and Climate Change Coast (Fig.1).
i) Cyclones, storm surges, sea-level rise and possible
effects
ii) Emergency response plans for natural disasters
such as cyclones, sea level rise, or anthropogenic
activities such as oil spills.

Coastal development
i) Appropriate site selection for industries, landfall
points, aquaculture, recreational activities, etc.
ii) Assessment of conditions in regulation zones,
areas under construction setback–lines, mega-
cities, etc.

3. COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS AND MARINE RESOURCES

3.1Coastal Ecosystems

Coastal habitats, especially wetlands, coral reefs, mangroves, salt Fig. 1. Change in mangrove area during 1986-1993.
marshes, and sea grasses, are highly productive, serve important
ecological functions, provide coastal protection and are critical Dense, degraded, mangrove plantation areas and reclaimed areas
resources for food, energy, tourism and economic development. can be distinguished using IRS LISS III data (Nayak et al. 1996,
Such coastal systems are under stress or threatened from various
Nayak and Bahuguna, 2001, Blasco and Aizpuru, 2002). Principal data have shown potential in identifying various coral reef
component analysis and band ratio are important techniques for features. Coral reef features such as type (fringing, atoll, platform,
distinguishing mangroves (Nayak et al. 1985, Nayak, 1994, Green patch, coral heads, sand cays, etc.), reef-flat, reef vegetation,
et al. 1998). It was found that spectral resolution is more crucial degraded reef, lagoons, live corals and coralline shelf have been
in distinguishing mangroves (Gao, 1999a, 1999b). mapped using IRS LISS II and III data on 1:50,000 scale for the
Indian reefs (Nayak et al. 1996, Bahuguna and Nayak, 1998).
Uncharted coralline shelf, coral heads, live coral platform and
Mangroves are characterised by the presence of particular coral pinnacle were mapped. These maps have been used as a
dominant communities/species, physico-chemical environment, basic input for identifying the boundaries of protected areas and
extent and frequency of inundation by tidal waves, salinity and a biosphere reserves. It was observed that coral reef degradation is
soil types. It is possible to identify major mangrove communities more serious problem than total destruction (Bahuguna and
such as Avicennia spp.; Rhizophora forest, Sonneratia spp., Nayak, 1998). The felling of mangroves and clearing of forests
Phoenix spp. and mangrove scrub using LISS III and PAN data have increased sedimentation and affected live coral and species
on the Indian sub-continent (Fig. 2). The variation in pigment diversity. It was observed that annual growth of coral reefs
content, leaf structure and water content in mangroves leaves decreases with increase in sediment loading in the Mayaquez bay
along with the associated features and location were exploited to in Puerto Rico (Miller and Cruise, 1995).
identify dominant mangrove types. Information regarding
different mangrove community zonation is a vital for bio- Coral reefs show distinct morphological and ecological
diversity assessment and for preparing management plans for characters. Water column modifies the apparent reflectance
conservation. spectrum of an object on the sea bottom. Water column correction
Avicennia alba and contextual editing increased the classification accuracy
(Mumby et al. 1998). IRS-1C LISS III and PAN merged data
have been used for coral reef zonation study (Nayak et al. 1996).
It is possible to identify reef edge, reef crest, algal ridge, moat,
Aegialitis coral knolls, reef platform, reef flat (consisting of sea grass,
algae/seaweed, shallow pools, mud over reef and sand apron).
IRS LISS III green band (520-590 nm) is quite useful. The live
coral area as small as 50-sq. m was possible to identify. The use
of very high-resolution data such as IKONOS has further
improved the accuracy of classification as well as delineation of
Avicennia boundary (Fig. 3).
marina
WRF

Marsh
Mudflat

Avicennia
sparse Outer RF with algae
Sand

Algal ridge

Phoenix

Outer reef flat

with macro
algae
Creek

Inner RF Inner RF
wit (sand +
Fig. 2. Mangrove zonation in the part of Sunderbans, India usng mud)
IRS LISS III and PAN merged data
Moat
3.3 Coral Reefs

The information about extent and condition of coral reefs is

required for planning conservation and preventive measures to
protect this fragile system. Coral reefs cover about 300,000 sq km Fig. 3. Coral reef zonation (Gulf of Kachchh, Western India),
areas. IRS LISS III, LANDSAT TM and SPOT multi-spectral using IKONOS data.
 3.5 Marine Fishery
The accuracy achieved is about 85 per cent. The branching coral,
massive coral, healthy and bleached coral have distinct spectral Marine living resources provide animal protein requirement of
characteristics. However, their distinction using remote sensing human being. Fishing and aquaculture are major source of
data has not been very successful. employment and economically very important, especially in
developing countries. The assessment of stock is one of the
3.4 Protected Areas important activities for conserving the marine living resources.
India has high potential for marine fisheries development. The
Many ecologically fragile areas are designated as ‘Protected present fish production in the country is mainly from the coastal
Areas’ to preserve and conserve such ecosystems. However, it is waters (up to depth of 50 m). An improved knowledge of
not known, how much area will be sufficient for conserving identification of marine living resources in EEZ is required to
biodiversity in vital/critical habitats, such as mangroves, coral harness full potential of commercial fishery. Phytoplankton forms
reefs and wetlands. It is necessary to monitor these areas to assess the first link in the ocean food chain and gives an indication about
impact of conservation measures as well as anthropogenic the standing stock of green biomass, which helps in predicting the
activities. The repetitive coverage of the IRS satellites is quite third level productivity. Today, satellite-based observing systems
adequate for monitoring such changes. In one such study, in the having narrow spectral bands in the visible region are providing
Marine National Park, Jamnagar, on the Gujarat coast significant better insight into our understanding of the ocean productivity.
changes in the mangrove vegetation and coral reef area were They also provide better understanding of the role played by
observed during the period 1975 to 2000 (Nayak et al. 1989, ocean productivity in the uptake of carbon dioxide from
Nayak and Bahuguna, 2001). Degradation and loss of both atmosphere.
ecosystems continued till 1985 on account of mining of coralline
sand and use of mangroves as fuel and fodder. The loss of coastal IRS P4 Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM) has been providing ocean
habitats is a direct measure of declining condition of biodiversity colour data every two days for the Indian regions. The potential
in coastal habitats. Hence, In 1983, this area was declared as a Fishing Zone (PFZ) maps are generated based on oceanographic
marine park (protected area). Extensive measures were initiated features such as thermal boundaries, fronts, eddies, rings, gyres,
for conservation of mangrove and coral reef areas by the marine meanders and up welling regions (Narain et al. 1992, Solanki et
park authorities. This resulted in reversing the trend of al. 2003). The chlorophyll and SST, derived from OCM and
degradation after 1985 and has certainly helped towards restoring NOAA AVHRR have been integrated to provide fishery forecast
the environment (Fig. 4). However, recent industrialisation, to predict likely availability of fishes more accurately (Solanki et
development of ports, etc. have again put these ecosystems under al. 1998, 2001, Dwivedi, et al. 2002). The ocean colour data
stress, as evident from recent satellite data. Remote sensing data provide information about the availability of food in a column.
has been proved to be extremely useful for routine monitoring of The SST defines the environment of the ocean. It was observed
the protected areas. that wherever, the boundaries/fronts/gradients of the chlorophyll
and SST coincide are ideal sites for the fish aggregation. Such
sites are the indicate coupling between biological and physical
processes, and hence fish tend to aggregate. These forecasts are
Status of Coastal Habitats of Marine valid for three days and are updated every second day. It was
National Park, Gulf of Kachchh (using observed that this technique is quite useful for pelagic and
300 satellite data) demersal fishery (Fig. 5). In India, this technique is operationally
used and forecasts are provided to about 240 fishing harbours
250 routines by the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information
Service (INCOIS), Hyderabad.
Area (sq km)

200
It was observed that such forecast are 70-90 per cent accurate
150 results in 70-100 per cent increase in catch, both pelagic and
demersal (Solanki et al. 2003). The benefit to cost ratio has
100 increased from 1.3 to 2.1 for those fishermen who have used
satellite-based fishery forecast (Nayak et al. 2002). The
50 information on sea-surface wind is being integrated to increase of
validity of forecast. Initial results indicate quite a good promise.
0 Apart from this, new resources through sea ranching and mari-
culture in enclosed and semi-enclosed bodies will have to be
1975 1986 1993 1998 2000 2001 tapped. Efforts are continuing to predict primary productivity and
link it to fish stock using ocean colour data. The bio-geographical
Total mangroves Dense mangroves zoning of the Indian waters is under progress. All these efforts
Sparse mangroves Reef will lead to achieve food self-sufficiency in developing countries.
Mud over reef

Fig. 4. Syatus of coastal ecosystems in the Marine National Park,

Gulf of Kachchh, India.
 Shoreline-change mapping (1967-68, 1985-89, 1990-92 periods)
for the entire Indian coast has been carried out using LANDSAT
MSS/TM and IRS LISS II data on 1:250,000 and 1:50,000 scale.
1. 150 kg/operation Erosion has been observed north of Visakhapatnam, Paradip, and
2. 210 kg/operation Ennore, north of Madras, near Nagapattiam and Kanyakumari
ports on the East Coast of India (Fig. 6) while deposition has been
Av. 40 kg/operation. observed south of these ports. These changes are attributed to
construction of artificial barriers like breakwater, jetties, etc.
(Nayak et al. 1992, 1997, Chauhan et al. 1996).).

New
Barrier
Island

Change in
spit

Fig. 5. Use of OCEANSAT I OCM and AVHRR SST for Severe

identifying potential fishery zones erosion
Paradeep

4. SHORELINE PROTECTION
Accreti
In world, many areas are being eroded and threaten the life and on
property of local population. The economic and human costs of
the coastal erosion are growing as more people migrate towards
coast. Healthy coastal ecosystems cannot completely protect coast
from impacts of storms and floods, but they do play an important
role in stabilizing shorelines and buffering coastal development
from impact of storm. One of the major requirements of planning
coastal protection work is to understand coastal processes of
erosion, deposition, and sediment-transport, flooding and sea-
level-changes, which continuously modify the shoreline. The
Fig. 6. Changes in shoreline between 1929 and 2001 in the
historical and functional approaches to study shoreline changes
deltaic region of Maha Nadi, Eastern India.
along with various landforms help in deciphering the coastal
processes operating in an area (Shaikh et al. 1989, Nayak, 2000). It is recently realised that construction of dam on rivers
Coastal geomorphology of the Godavari delta was studied using significantly alters coastal environment at least for some time.
airborne X band SAR and IRS LISS II images (Madhavan, et al. The Dhuvaran Thermal Power Station located on the northern
1999). Multi-date satellite data have been used to study shoreline bank of the Mahi estuary in the Gulf of Khambhat (Cambay) had
change and coastal landforms, which provided insight into large experienced severe erosion during 1979-1981. The analysis of
area sediment transport studies and detecting long-term change in multi-date satellite imagery indicated significant shoreline
entire coastline (Nayak, 2000). The planimetric accuracy was 15 changes in the Mahi estuary, western coast of India, between
m at the 1:50,000-scale (Chauhan and Nayak, 1995). Use of 1972 and 1988 (Nayak and Sahai, 1985). These changes were
digital terrain model along with tidal heights can improve attributed to construction of dams on the Mahi and Panam rivers
shoreline change detection (Chan and Raul, 1998). in upstream regions during 1975. Remedial measures in the form
of diaphragm wall and spurs ave certainly helped to check the surveillance is possible if high-resolution remote- sensing geo-
erosion. Recently available high-resolution images will be synchronous satellite is available. Smaller spills from vessels,
extremely useful for such analysis. maintenance of oil infrastructure is a major source and is not
detected on satellite images. Systematic observation with high-
The knowledge about suspended sediment movement helps in resolution satellite data will be helpful to study their effect on
understanding near-shore water flow. In one such study, a coastal habitats.
sediment plume emerging from the Kochi harbour made a sharp
contact with the sediments along the coast indicating two different
water masses. This clearly indicated that the plume is acting as
obstruction to the sediment movement. This had resulted in
erosion on the southern coast and deposition on the northern
coast. The IRS P4 OCM data are extremely useful to study
sediment dispersal and sediment transport studies due to their 2-
day repeat cycle. The sequential nature of OCM helped in
understanding sediment movement along the coast. OCM data has
been used for computing advective velocity of surface currents
(Prasad et al. 2002).

5. MARINE WATER QUALITY

Anthropogenic activities such as discharge of industrial and

municipal sewage, land use, tourism, maritime transport, offshore
oil exploration and production, dumping at sea degrade the
marine environment. Turbidity, temperature and colour are
indicators of water quality. Chlorophyll indicates trophic status, Fig. 7. A plume from a sugar factory and its dispersion (dark
nutrient load and possibility of pollutants in coastal waters. colour) in the Kakinada Bay, Eastern India.
Suspended sediments affect navigation, fisheries, and aquatic life,
Incidences of harmful algal blooms have increased worldwide.
recreation potential of sea resorts. As the suspended sediments
They may occur with cyclic regularity in certain regions where
carry absorbed chemicals and fronts are associated with
certain optimum environmental conditions prevail in marine
pollutants, the knowledge about their movement will help in
waters. These planktons produce certain toxins, which adversely
predicting waste effluent transportation path. Suspended
affect fish and other organisms. The bloom usually takes place
sediments are easily observed on the satellite imagery. Tides
rather suddenly and may spread with amazing speed, changing
play an important role in the movement of suspended sediments
colour of surface water into red, green or hay colour. CZCS-
and fronts (Nayak and Sahai, 1985). Successive images from IRS
derived chlorophyll map was used to study such bloom in the
P4 OCM have been used for understanding impact of tides on
Baltic Sea. IRS P4 OCM data have been used to monitor
sediments in tide- and wave-dominated regions. A distinct front
Trichodesium bloom in the Arabian Sea using OCM data.
was observed separating the Gulf waters and the Arabian Sea,
western India under different tidal conditions. This suggests that
there is very little mixing between these two waters. Hence the
pollutants discharged in the Gulf will circulate within the Gulf 6. MARINE ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE
and ultimately will settle in the Gulf itself.
The marine environment is sensitive and vulnerable to climate
change. It is necessary to determine present status of the various
Municipal sewage and industrial waste are major types of
systems and to predict future conditions. The high degree of
pollution observed on the coast. Toxic chemicals, nutrients,
uncertainty in present information inhibits effective management
sediments and solid waste discharged in to coastal waters affect
and limits the ability to make predictions and assess
coastal ecosystems. Such waste out-falls are difficult to detect as
environmental change. Systematic collection of data on marine
near shore waters are turbid. Some of the effluents have colour
environment needed to apply integrated management approaches
and can be detected. One such waste out-fall from titanium
and predict effect of global climate change. Global climate change
factory near Thiruvananthapuram and sugar mill discharge near
may compound pressures on coastal ecosystems through warmer
the Kakinada Coast, West and east coast of India were traced
sea surface temperature, altered ocean circulation patterns,
using high- resolution satellite data, respectively (Fig. 7). Indian
changing storm frequency and rising sea levels.
coastal waters are relatively free from pollution except few
pockets around industrialised zones and large cities.
It was observed on IRS P4 images that productivity of the coastal
Oil spills from vessels and platforms are infrequent. In such cases, waters of the Orissa coast increased after the cyclone (Nayak et al.
oil rises to surface and spread across the water body and thus 2001). The frequency of cyclone has also increased during last
amenable to remote detection. In one such study, IRS P4 OCM several years. It may be interesting to see long-term impact on
data was used for monitoring oil slick occurred in the Gulf of productivity in view of global warming.
Kachchh. However, 2-day repeat cycle of OCM data is not
adequate for monitoring slick in tide-dominated areas. Satellite
Coral bleaching can occur due to increase in temperatures 1°-2° C
higher than average in the warm season. Coral bleaching provides 7.1 Brackish Water Aquaculture Site Selection
a direct indicator of the condition of coral reefs. In last two
decades, incidence of mass bleaching has been increasingly In India, the aquaculture development started with essentially to
observed (Goreau and Hayes, 1994, Goreau, et al. 1997). NOAA provide employment in rural coastal areas as well as to increase
SST data have been extensively used to study the relationship the export to developing countries. Aquaculture development and
between increase in SST and coral bleaching (NOAA, 1998, planning require comprehensive data on land use and water
ICRS, 1998). It is possible to predict coral bleaching by resources. IRS LISS II data was utilised to prepare coastal land
monitoring SST (Strong, 1998). The wide spread coral bleaching use maps on 1:50,000 scale along the Indian coast. These maps
observed during 1997-98 is an example of the effect of elevated show wetland features between high and low water lines and land
SST. This event of bleaching on the Lakshadweep Islands, India use features of the adjoining shore (up to 1.5 km from high
was also recorded using IRS LISS III data (Fig. 8). waterline). The land use/wetland information has been used for
evaluating quality of the surrounding coastal waters, as this
information was not available in most of the cases. The spatial
distribution of mud/tidal flat areas, which are most suitable from
substrate condition point of view give idea about potential
Bleaching available for brackish water aquaculture. These maps have been
in 1998 used by the Central and State Fisheries departments for evaluating
proposed sites as well as for selecting new sites and reassessing
potential for brackish water aquaculture. These maps along with
other engineering, biological, meteorological, socio-economic and
infrastructure related parameters were integrated using GIS for
evaluating site suitability (Gupta et al. 1995, 2001). Site
evaluation is carried out to determine whether site is suitable or
not and to appreciate about requirements to make the site suitable
(Fi.g. 9) This procedure had ensured development for brackish
water aquaculture with minimum damage to the ecology of the
area.

Fig. 8. Coral beaching seen on IRS LISS III image during 1998.

The sea level rise is highly variable both in terms of time and
space. Various estimates for the Indian coast vary from 0.5 to 2.2
mm per year. It is expected that the rise in sea level will lead to
increased erosion and habitat loss, increased salinity in estuaries,
alter tidal range, change sediment transport and increase coastal
flooding. Rising levels will also increase impact of storm surges.
The response of different ecosystems to sea level rise has been
evaluated based on their characteristics for the Gujarat coast
(Nayak, 1994). Small increase in sea level has potential of
causing significant changes to small islands and low-lying coasts.
It seems that conservation of mangrove areas will be one of the
important step to mitigate impact of the sea level rise (Baba and
Nayak, 2002).

7. COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT

Fig. 9. Prioritised aquaculture sites selected based on integration
The management of coastal zone requires data on varied aspects of remote-sensing-based coastal land use and other ecological,
as discussed earlier. Information exists in form of thematic maps engineering, infrastructure related data in GIS
as well as non-spatial format. Thus it is difficult to integrate these
data conventionally. It is, therefore necessary to develop a 7.2 Coastal Regulation Zone
computer-based information system composed of comprehensive
and integrated set of data designed for decision-making. In this The increasing pressure on the coastal zone due to concentration
remote-sensing-based management plan, basic input about coastal of population, development of industries, discharge of waste
areas is derived from remote sensing data. Integration of this effluents and municipal sewage and spurt in recreational
thematic data with other secondary data would lead to activities, has adversely affected the coastal environment. The
identification of suitable sites, initial zoning, sea protection plan, population of coastal districts is increasing through out the coastal
eco-system conservation, etc. areas in the world. In India, the population on coastal regions is
likely to increase to from 15 per cent at present to almost 40 per
cent in next decade. In view of this, coastal stretches of bays,
estuaries, backwaters, seas, creeks, which are influenced by tidal
action up to 500 m from High Tide Line (HTL) and the land
between the Low Tide Line (LTL) and the HTL has been declared
as the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ). Maps showing wetland
features between HTL and LTL and coastal land use features up
to 500 m from HTL on 1:25,000 scales for the entire Indian coast,
using IRS LISS II and SPOT data were prepared. These maps
provided condition of land use and wetlands during 1990-91, just
before the notification of CRZ issued by the Govt. of India (fig.
10 a). These maps are 85 per cent accurate at 90 per cent
confidence level. The planimetric accuracy is 20-50 m. It was
observed that large-scale reclamation of wetlands have been
carried out for residential, industrial, commercial and agricultural
purposes. Temporal nature of the IRS data has been used to prove
time of reclamation in few cases. These coastal land use maps
were integrated with the other information related to ecology,
tourism, archaeological sites, etc. for classifying coastal zone into
four classes (fig. 10b). CRZ I areas are ecologically sensitive and
most activity are restricted or prohibited in this zone. CRZ II is
developed area and construction activities are permitted under
certain condition. CRZ III is undeveloped area and limited
activities are permitted. All islands are classified as CRZ IV and
no construction activities are permitted. Such maps are prepared
for the entire India’s coastline using satellite data CRZ maps are
being used by the State Governments to prepare coastal zone
management plans (Gupta et al. 2000). Recently, Govt. of India
has issued a notification to use satellite data for preparation of
1:25,000 scale maps for regional planning. The recent availability
of the high-resolution data has helped to prepare local level maps
on 1:5,000-scale for implementation of CRZ measures. The
interaction between various activities conducted in the coastal
zones need to be assessed. This would ensure judicious develop-
ment of coastal zone without endangering the environment and
ecology.
Acknowledgements
I am extremely grateful to Dr. K. N. Shankara, Director, and Dr.
K. L. Majumdar, Deputy Director, Space Applications Centre,
Ahmedabad for his valuable support and constant encouragement.
Thanks are to my colleague Dr. Anjali Bahuguna, Dr. M. C.
Gupta, Shri A. S. Rajawat, Shri H. U. Solanki and Shri H. B.
Chauhan, for helping me for preparing the manuscript.
Fig. 10. Coastal land use map (7.5’ x 7.5’ ) prepared using IRS LISS II and PAN merged data (a) and coastal regulation zones (b).
 Table 1: Classification System for Coastal Land Use Mapping

Level Level II Level III

Agricultural land

Forest Natural
Man-made

Wetland Estuary
Lagoon
Creek
Bay
Tidal Flat/ Mudflat
Sand/Beach/Spit/Bar
Coral reef
Rocky coast
Mangroves Dense
Sparse
Salt marsh/ Marsh vegetation
Other vegetation
(Scrub/grass/algae/sea weeds)

Barren Land Sandy area/dunes

Mining area/dumps
Rock
outcrops/gullied/eroded/badlands

Built-up Land Habitation

Habitation with vegetation
Open/vacant land
Transportation Roads
Railways
Harbour/Jetty
Airport
Waterways

Other features Reclaimed area

Salt pans
Aquaculture ponds
Ponds/lakes
Rivers/Streams
Drains/Outfalls/Effluents
Sea wall/embankments
High Tide Line
Low Tide Line
District/State Boundary
CRZ boundary
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