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HABITAT RISK ASSESSMENT AND MANGEMENT

THE CASE OF ENNORE

MASTER OF CITY PLANNING

THESIS REPORT
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of

Master of City Planning

By

Manipriya S P
21AR60R39

Under the guidance of

Prof. (Dr) Arup Das

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND REGIONAL PLANNING

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, KHARAGPUR

APRIL 2023

CERTIFICATE
Habitat risk assessment and management| Manipriya S P

This is to certify that the Thesis entitled “Habitat risk assessment and management: A
case of Ennore” submitted by Manipriya S P, roll no. 21AR60R39, in partial fulfilment of
the requirements of the degree of Master of City Planning of this institute, is a bonafide
work of the student to the best of our knowledge, and may be placed before Examination
Board for their consideration.

Dr. Arup Das Dr. Abraham George

Thesis Supervisor Head of Department

Approved by

External Examiner External Examiner

DECLARATION
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Habitat risk assessment and management| Manipriya S P

I hereby declare that the dissertation entitled “Habitat risk assessment and management: A
case of Ennore” presents my original work, and has heretofore never been submitted by any
person, to any educational institution, for any academic award, title or rank.

I also hereby declare that I have not resorted to any unethical means in the preparation of
this thesis report or in the research and survey work that preceded it.

I also declare that all the information in this thesis report has been produced and presented
in compliance with prevalent academic rules of ethical conduct and as required by these
rules. I have fully cited and referenced all information that is not original to this work.

Date______________ Signature_________________

MANIPRIYA S P

21AR60R39

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The process of earning the degree, Master of City Planning (MCP) and
completing a thesis is long and arduous and is certainly not done single handedly.
First, I would like to thank my parents and my family for their constant moral support
and mellifluous affection without which this thesis would have been a mere dream.

I am grateful to the Department of Architecture and Regional Planning, and


IIT Kharagpur for providing me with this opportunity to put into practice what we
have learnt over the years, helping me sharpen my skills and aid in professional
development.

I sincerely express my deepest sense of gratitude to my guide, Prof. Dr. Arup


Das, Department of Architecture and Regional Planning, Indian Institute of
Technology, Kharagpur for his extraordinary cooperation, invaluable guidance and
supervision. My appreciation and acknowledgement is due to the faculty of the
Department for providing a congenial atmosphere, periodically reviewing the work
and imparting words of wisdom along the journey.

I would like to thank the authorities at Chennai- GCC (Greater Chennai


Corporation), CMDA (Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority), and Fisheries
community head and the locals of Ennore zone for their support, cooperation and
providing the required data.

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ABSTRACT

The Ennore Creek, along with the Buckingham Canal and the rest of the Pulicat water
system has vast importance for the local fisher folk. The Ennore Creek nurtures a healthy
acquatic ecosystem which was once famous for it’s rich biodiversity. This ecologically
sensitive ecosystem was home to large swamps of mangroves, that not only ensured a
sustainable regeneration of fish resources, but also help mitigate flooding in times of strong
rainfall, high tides and cyclones.

For decades, this creek sustained the livelihoods of the residents in the surrounding villages
and has been demarcated as CRZ IV (Water Body) in the coastal zone management plan by
the Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority. Undertaking any reclamation,
bunding, construction or altering the natural courses of such water bodies is illegal under
the CRZ Notification 2011, Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974 and the
Environment Protection Act, 1986.

Despite being protected under such regulations, the unplanned industrial development of
this area over the last few decades have had devastating effects on the whole ecosystem,
resulting in loss of ecology and livelihoods of the fishing communities.

Integrated coastal and ocean management requires transparent and accessible approaches
for understanding the influence of human activities on marine environments. Here we
introduce a model for assessing the combined risk to habitats from multiple ocean uses. We
apply the model to both biotic (species of dominant varieties of fishes, prawns, crabs,
mollusc, sponges and mangrove forest) and abiotic habitat (saltpans, marsh lands, mudflats,
open scrub land, creek) in Ennore to inform the design of the Integrated Management Plan.
Based on extensive stakeholder engagement, review of existing legislation and data
collected from diverse sources, we map the current distribution of coastal and ocean
activities and develop three scenarios for zoning these activities in the future. We then
estimate ecosystem risk under the current and future scenarios.

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CERTIFICATE OF SIMILARITY
This is to certify that the following Thesis Report detailed below has been evaluated by
plagiarism/ similarity checking software “Turnitin.” The similarity content was found under
permissible limits. The following documents enclosed are the Similarity Index and Digital
Receipt of the report.

Habitat risk assessment and management - For the case of


Ennore Creek

Table of Contents

1. OVERVIEW..................................................................................................................................12
1.1 Aim.......................................................................................................................................12

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1.2 Objectives............................................................................................................................12

1.3 Need for the study...............................................................................................................12

1.4 Limitations...........................................................................................................................13

2 INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................14
2.1 ECOSYSTEM SERVICES..........................................................................................................14

3 Study Area...................................................................................................................................15
3.1 Location...............................................................................................................................16

3.2 Existing Land use..................................................................................................................16

3.3 Ennore creek and its environs..............................................................................................17

3.3.1 Zone – 1.......................................................................................................................18


3.3.2 Zone – 2.......................................................................................................................18
3.3.3 Zone – 3.......................................................................................................................18
3.3.4 Zone – 4.......................................................................................................................19
3.4 Issues and impact in Ennore Creek......................................................................................19

3.4.1 Industries and thermal power plant impacts - Perception survey...............................21


3.4.2 Identification of Illegal encroachments........................................................................23
3.4.3 Identification of stressors............................................................................................25
4 Land cover and Land Use............................................................................................................27
5 Biodiversity.................................................................................................................................29
5.1 Macro faunal community.....................................................................................................30

5.1.1 Molluscan diversity......................................................................................................30


5.1.2 Marine sponges diversity.............................................................................................30
5.1.3 Fish community structure............................................................................................31
5.1.4 Distribution of Mangroves...........................................................................................31
5.1.5 Mapping of other habitats...........................................................................................33
6 Literature review.........................................................................................................................33
6.1 Wetlands..............................................................................................................................33

6.1.1 Coastal Wetland...........................................................................................................35


6.1.2 Wetland Significance....................................................................................................35
6.1.3 Threats to wetlands.....................................................................................................36
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6.1.4 Strategies to conserve coastal wetland........................................................................37


6.1.5 Wetland governance....................................................................................................37
6.1.6 Integrated planning......................................................................................................38
6.2 CASE STUDY 1: Integrated Coastal Management in the Venice Lagoon and Watershed.....38

6.2.1 Location.......................................................................................................................38
6.2.2 Uses of the Venice lagoon ecosystem..........................................................................39
6.2.3 Impacts of sectoral activities on the environment.......................................................40
6.2.4 Other risks associated with the change in the relative level of land and sea include: 41
6.2.5 Integrated Coastal Management Principles (ICM).......................................................41
6.2.6 Public-Private Integration............................................................................................42
6.3 CHILIKA - An Integrated Management Planning Framework for Conservation and Wise-Use
44

6.3.1 Management Strategies...............................................................................................46


6.3.2 Components of action plan..........................................................................................47
6.4 CASE 3: Assessing habitat risk from human activities to inform coastal and marine spatial
planning: a demonstration in Belize................................................................................................48

6.4.1 Methodology and tool for risk assessment..................................................................49


6.4.2 Estimating habitat risk.................................................................................................50
6.4.3 Habitat risk under three future zoning scenarios for human activities........................53
7 Methodology..............................................................................................................................56
7.1 Detailed methodology for Assessment................................................................................57

8 HRA - Model................................................................................................................................57
8.1 Habitat risk assessment model description.........................................................................59

9 Model inputs...............................................................................................................................60
9.1 Mapping of the habitat and stressors.................................................................................60

9.2 Exposure..............................................................................................................................61

9.3 Consequence.......................................................................................................................62

9.4 Cumulative Risk to Habitats or Species from Multiple Stressors..........................................65

9.4.1 Cumulative risk of Creek from multiple stressors........................................................65


9.5 Habitat Risk maps................................................................................................................68

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9.6 Total risk of Ecosystem........................................................................................................71

10 Proposals.....................................................................................................................................73
10.1 Regional level.......................................................................................................................73

10.1.1 Kostalaiyar basin..........................................................................................................73


10.1.2 Ennore creek................................................................................................................73
10.2 DEVELOPMENT ZONES AND SAFEGUARDS..........................................................................73

10.3 Green industrial policy (GIP)................................................................................................74

10.4 Zero waste management policy...........................................................................................74

10.5 Riparian vegetation along the Creek....................................................................................75

10.6 Zero liquid discharge............................................................................................................76

10.7 Industrial symbiosis.............................................................................................................77

10.8 Ennore Creek restoration.....................................................................................................78

10.8.1 Slums............................................................................................................................79
10.8.2 Restoration..................................................................................................................79
10.8.3 CEPI..............................................................................................................................79
10.8.4 Monitoring...................................................................................................................79
10.9 Mangrove afforestaion........................................................................................................80

11 Management scenario – Risk Map..............................................................................................82


References...........................................................................................................................................85

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List of Figures

Figure 1: The water cycle, redrawn from MRC (2003)............................................................13

Figure 2: Interactions in Ecosystem........................................................................................14

Figure 3: Study area (Chennai)...............................................................................................15

Figure 4: Ennore creek and its neighbourhood......................................................................17

Figure 5: Before and after - Kuruvimedu kalvai and Mangrove site.......................................23

Figure 6: Before and after- Paraval and Athipattu road.........................................................23

Figure 7: Before and after - Buckingham canal and Paraval area...........................................24

Figure 8: Map showing the underwater assessment locations..............................................29

Figure 9: Distribution of fishes............................................................................................... 31

Figure 10: Distribution of Mangroves................................................................................32

Figure 11: Venetian lagoon.................................................................................................... 39

Figure 12:Positive and negative co-relation...........................................................................43

Figure 13: Networks of organizations to Chilika development authority...............................45

Figure 14: Schematic diagram for formulation of management action plan..........................46

Figure 15: Conceptual diagram depicting how exposure and consequence criteria are

combined to estimate risk......................................................................................................50

Figure 16: Current (a) and three future zoning scenarios for human activities—(b)

conservation, (c) Informed Management, and (d) Development...........................................54

Figure 17: Area of coral reef, mangrove forests and seagrass beds at high, medium and low

risk under the Current and three future scenarios of human activities.................................55

Figure 18: Proposed Methodology.........................................................................................56


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Figure 19: Detailed assessment – Methodology.....................................................................57

Figure 20: Conceptual diagram depicting the primary inputs and outputs of the InVEST HRA

model..................................................................................................................................... 58

Figure 21:Exposure scoring for the canal againts the stressors..............................................62

Figure 22: Consequence scoring for the canal against stressor..............................................65

Figure 23: Risk plot for the creek against the stressors..........................................................66

Figure 24: Habitat Risk map - Canal........................................................................................67

Figure 25: Section of riparian ecosystem...............................................................................75

Figure 26: Zero liquid discharge conceptual diagram.............................................................76

Figure 27: Industrial symbiosis example.................................................................................77

Figure 28: Ennore creek industrial symbiosis........................................................................78

List of Tables

Table 3-1: Issues and impacts in Ennore Creek7...................................................................................20

Table 5-1: Definitions and scoring bins for the exposure and consequence criteria...........................52

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1. OVERVIEW

1.1 Aim

Preparation of Habitat risk management Plan for Ennore wetland complex with a focus on
conservation of Creek and sustainable livelihoods.

1.2 Objectives

● To understand the chennai’s history of coastal development and study on


relationship between coastal flooding and wetlands.
● To study and understand the significance the of Ennore wetland complex.
● To Identity the biodiversity and stressors of the area.
● To formulate Management and conservation strategies for the sustainable
development of the Ennore wetland complex

1.3 Need for the study

The coastal environment, both the local and global water cycles (Figure 1) is strongly
dependent on wetlands, acting as gateways for both land and sea 1. Estuaries are intricate
and dynamic natural elements that absorb a significant quantity of pollutants from
contaminated urban and industrial sites. The coastal region's industrialization and
urbanization frequently result in the depletion of the coastal ecosystem and reduce natural
resistance to climate shocks. The functioning of these cycles may be hampered by a loss of
biodiversity, which might have a significant effect on individuals, society, and the economy.

India has an 8,129 km long coastline, with 6,000 km of it being a wealth of estuaries,
streams, brackish water, lagoons, and lakes. The coastal regions of the Bay of Bengal
countries are home to some 185 million people, or 44 million families, the great majority of
whom depend in some manner on marine and coastal resources for their subsistence and
economic well-being. The Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem's marine and coastal
ecosystem services may presently be worth more than USD 72 billion annually, according to
the research 2.

The goal of this study is to assist decision-makers in better recognizing, values of ecosystem
and its habitats to better incorporate those values into their decisions.

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Figure 1: The water cycle, redrawn from MRC (2003)

1.4 Limitations

 Ennore wetland biodiversity was studied on Species and ecosystem diversity that
have correlation with spatial planning approach.
 The model only assesses the risk of stressors that directly impact habitat by
overlapping in space.
 Information limitation for Industries aspect.
 Results do not reflect the effects of past human activities. The HRA model does not
explicitly account for the effects of historical human activities on the current risk.
Exposure to human activities in the past may affect the consequence of human
activities in the present and future.

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 The model only assesses the risk of stressors that directly impact habitat by
overlapping in space.

2 INTRODUCTION

Integrated coastal and ocean management requires transparent and accessible approaches
for understanding the influence of human activities on marine environments. Here we
introduce a model for assessing the combined risk to habitats from multiple ocean uses. We
apply the model to both biotic (species of dominant varieties of fishes, prawns, crabs,
mollusc, sponges and mangrove forest) and abiotic habitat (saltpans, marsh lands, mudflats,
open scrub land, creek) in Ennore to inform the design of the Integrated Management Plan.
Based on extensive stakeholder engagement, review of existing legislation and data
collected from diverse sources, we map the current distribution of coastal and ocean
activities and develop three scenarios for zoning these activities in the future. We then
estimate ecosystem risk under the current and future scenarios.

2.1 ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

Ecosystem Services are the perks that people get from ecosystems 3.Figure 2says that
ecosystem services should be seen as a natural capital's grant in the welfare of people,
which only develops through relationships with human, social, and built capital.

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Figure 2: Interactions in Ecosystem.

Source: LIFE Viva Grass, Costanza et al., 2014

By 2050, the planet’s population will rise to 9 billion, thereby raising the demand, especially
for our ocean and coastal ecosystems. We must make use of empirical
evidence, scientific technologies, and applications of environmental conservation,
restoration, and management to make sure these crucial systems keep up with changing
human requirements.

3 Study Area

The greatest estuary is the Ennore River Mouth, situated in Thiruvallur, Tamil Nadu, in the
southeast of India. The stream is 2.25 km2 in size and is located 20 km north of the city. It
runs into the Bay of Bengal in Ennore and runs from west to east.It serves as the estuary of
the river Kortaliayar, from which the extra water from the Poondi reservoir is discharged.

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Figure 3: Study area (Chennai)

3.1

Location

At 13°13'54.48"N and 80°19'26.60"E, the Ennore Estuary is close to Chennai, a major


metropolis. The estuary is connected to Pulicat Lake in the north by Buckingham Canal and
the Kosasthalaiyar River in the northwest.

3.2 Existing Land use

On the landward side of the salt marsh, to the west of Ennore Port, there is little to no
vegetation. The main line of work for those living north and west of Ennore Creek is
agriculture. The main crops farmed are millets, groundnuts, and rice, and cultivation is often
reliant on the monsoon. Groundwater is used to cultivate a smaller area during the dry
season. Shell fishing, industrial cooling water intake and release, and saltpans are the main
resource used by the stream region.

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In terms of land use, there are built-up communities (22.5%), agricultural fields (47.5%),
wasteland (2.5%), creeks/canals (2%), sandy beaches (12.5%), saltpans (8.5%), and industrial
(4.5%) 6.

3.3 Ennore creek and its environs

Along the length and width of the creek, there are several water systems and uses of the
land in the Ennore area. These are summarised under the various zones shown in Figure 4.

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Figure 4: Ennore creek and its neighbourhood

3.3.1 Zone – 1

The region from Kattupalli to Pulicat Lake, north of Ennore Creek.

Kattupalli Island is flanked with Creek – south, the Bay of Bengal - east, the Buckingham
Canal towards the west, and the Pulicat Lake on the north.Mangrove clumps and several
sand dunes may be seen on the Buckingham Canal's banks.

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The southernmost region of the island has been chosen by the Tamilnadu Industrial
Development Corporation (TIDCO) for the construction of a petrochemical park. At the
southernmost point of the Island lies the North Chennai Thermal Power Station (NCTPS).

3.3.2 Zone – 2

Ennore Port, Kortaliayar, TIDCO, Buckingham Canal North, NCTPS.

The Ennore Port has roughly 3500 acres of land and access to the enormous Manali
Industrial Area, two thermal power plants, and other facilities. It shares access to an
additional 4000 acres of land with the Tamilnadu Industrial Development Corporation
(TIDCO) in the port region. The region is perfectly positioned to handle hazardous goods to
serve the Manali Industrial Area and TIDCO Petrochem Park, which is intended to be next to
the port because it is relatively unoccupied and surrounded by arid salt marshes. 6

3.3.3 Zone – 3

West of Ennore Creek up to Korataliyar.

The Korataliyar River is the main source of fresh water. The Poondi reservoir is built over the
Korataliyar River near the headwaters, some 65 km upstream of Ennore Creek. Kesavaram
anicut, a diversion construction, is used to direct water either to the Cooum River or to the
Korataliyar River. Another diversion farther downstream is the Thamaripakkam anicut,
which is about 15 km from Ennore Creek and diverts low flow to the Chollavaram Tank
before continuing to Pulal Lake. Redhills surplus canal is where excess flows from Red Hills
enter the Ennore Creek (Amullavoyal canal). The surplus flows from the Thamaripakkam
anicut and the Red Hills may be used to estimate the freshwater input volumes to Ennore
Creek.

3.3.4 Zone – 4

Industrial development and townships in Manali, to the southwest of Ennore Creek.

Numerous petrochemical and fertilizer companies, including Madras Fertilizers Limited


(MFL), Chennai Petroleum industry - CPCL, Madras Refinery - MRL, and other special
hazardous chemical industries are located in the Manali Industrial Estate.

3.4 Issues and impact in Ennore Creek

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Government agencies are increasingly regulating additional environmental protection


measures, such as environmental impact assessments and environmental protection
techniques in project designs, as a result of the increased public pressure and awareness of
the possible effects of pollution.

According to the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) of 1996, the creek's 8,000- acre
water spread region is categorized as CRZ-1 (Coastal Regulation Zone), where development
is rigorously controlled. 1090 acres of the 8,000 acres of wetland have been lost due to
encroachments. The fly ash from the leaky fly ash pipelines at North Chennai Thermal Power
Station has harmed an additional 300 acres of Creek. By raising the level of the reclaimed
land by up to 15 metres above sea level due to the current encroachments, the contours
have been substantially altered.

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Table 3-1: Issues and impacts in Ennore Creek 7

In the creek area within Athipattu village limits, Kamaraj Port had dumped dredged mud on
tidal mudflats and saltpan areas, and created a large coal and iron ore storage yards now
operated by private concessionaires. Such reclamation of saltpans and tidal water bodies is
prohibited under the CRZ Notification, 2011. The fine silt from dumped mud has leaked into
the remaining portion of the river and silted up the river reducing its depth and ability to
carry floodwaters. The Kamaraj Port Ltd has constructed a massive bund across the creek
connecting the port to the coal yard. The river, which is nearly 1 km wide, at that point has
been reduced to less than 30 meters.

3.4.1 Industries and thermal power plant impacts - Perception survey

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The villagers complained of declining fish catch, and a poor market for fish from these
waters as consumers found the taste disagreeable and were concerned about
contamination. Since fishing brought the men in contact with water, skin diseases were
rampant. This was further confirmed through primary survey where people also complained
about air pollution from the cluster of power plants. (Coastal Resource Centre, 2016)

The Manali CEPI area falls in the micro watersheds of the Ennore creek, the overall CEPI
score of the complex is 84.15. The environment pollution index (EPI) for air is 59.75, EPI for
water and ground water is 72.25 and 71.75. Environment pollution index for land is
71.75.The pollution index for water and land environment is high.

North Chennai comprises 34% of Chennai slum population which discharges 0.9 million
gallons per day. Industrial effluents and sewage has led to poor water quality of creek i.e.
Chemical oxygen demand 520 mg/l in creek, biological oxygen demand 480mg/l stream and
toxic metals which has led to event of mass mortality fishes.

3.4.2 Identification of Illegal encroachments

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The Save Ennore Creek campaign made the government of Tamilnadu travel to the
untouched Ennore backwaters where Over 39 acres of marshland, notably 16.6 acres of
land designated as mangroves and mangrove buffers in the authorised Coastal Zone
Management Plan, have been invaded by TANTRANSCO.

Figure 5: Before and after - Kuruvimedu kalvai and Mangrove site

Figure 6: Before and after- Paraval and Athipattu road

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Figure 7: Before and after - Buckingham canal and Paraval area

The ability of the river to carry floodwaters has been severely hampered by the dumping of
fly ash by NCTPS and NTECL Vallur power plants, the dumping of dredged mud by Kamaraj
Port, and the failure of several agencies to remove debris from between the columns of
different bridges. Villagers, particularly fisher folk, have suffered gravely because of
declining fish catch, compromised fish quality, disappearance of commercially valuable
species, and health problems arising from contact with contaminated water. (Coastal
Resource Centre, 2016) (MoEF, 2019)

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3.4.3 Identification of stressors

Development activities which poses threat to the Creek ecosystem is identified using various
sources like satellite images, EIA reports of neighbouring development activities and
mapped.

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4 Land cover and Land Use

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The landuse land cover change is done for delineated region from year 2017 to 2015- 16 to
understand negative implications of landuse on coastal wetlands and waterbodies. The
change detection was done using ESRI LULC maps and QGIS was used to carry out
supervised classification (Maximum Likelihood Classification) in order to enable the change
in land use and cover of the delineated region. Seven classes including Water, Vegetation,
Mangrove, Built up, Ash ponds, Open scrub and Saltpans were used.

The analysis is done for 2017, 2020 and 2022 years, where the observed changes were
decrease of 12.2 % in Salt pans, an important part of this wetland complex, have all been
allocated for different hazardous industries increase of 8.13% of Built up land. There in
17.3% increase in Fly ash land due to ash leaking out of this pond has reduced the depth of
the river, Forest area reduced slightly by 1.3% and water bodies by 3%.

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5 Biodiversity

The study on biological resources conducted by Marine Infrastructure Developer Private


Limited (MIDPL) provides benchmark information of the available biodiversity resources.
The underwater assessment was conducted within the 10 km radius to assess the benthic
biota in the marine zone. The survey area was divided into 8 major zones covering a
distance of 1 km; within each zone further division was done to an area of 1 sq.km. Because
of the availability of marine, brackish and freshwater ecosystems next to each other,
associated biodiversity is considerably high in the study area. There are many species of
fishes, molluscs, crustaceans and polychaetes within the study area.

Because of the bottom topography and prevailing strong currents, benthic communities
were very less in amount. Dynamic and ecologically sensitive marine habitats such as coral
reefs and sea grasses were not observed in any of the assessed grids due to the
unsupportive environmental parameters. Because of the absence of critical habitats, density
and diversity of fish and other biodiversity were comparatively low.

Figure 8: Map showing the underwater assessment locations

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5.1 Macro faunal community

5.1.1 Molluscan diversity

Fair distribution has been observed which comprised 38 species in the study area. Babylonia
zeylanica, Babylonia spirata, Cerithium columna and Ficus gracilis were the most sighted
species accounted during the survey. Mean density was 8.80±0.50 (no/5 m2 ), it was ranged
between 4.00±0.14 and 13.20±0.34 (no/5 m2 ) among the stations.

5.1.2 Marine sponges diversity

The low population of Marine sponges has been reported in the study area. Only 10 species
were observed, of theses, Clathria microciona, Echinodyctium sp. and Chalinula sp. were the
common species. Zone 4 had the highest species richness with 10 followed by Zone 3 with 9
no. Diversity index value had ranged between 0.69 and 2.12, while evenness value exhibited
that between 0.90 and 1.0 in the study area.

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5.1.3 Fish community structure

In total, 50 fish species were recorded in the study area. . In fish density, significantly varied
among the zones it was varied between 13.18 (no/250 m2 ) and 38.71 (no/250 m2 ) Details
are given in the (Fig. 3.1.4 & Table 3.1.4). Rastrelliger kanagurta, Rhabdosargus sarba,
Sphyraena jello, Alepes melanoptera and Selaroides leptolepis were the most abundant
fishes in the study area. Reef fishes are poorly occurs in the marine zone.

Figure 9: Distribution of fishes

5.1.4 Distribution of Mangroves

Mangroves are seen in Ennore creek, Kosasthalaiyar river (connecting Ennore creek and
Pulicat lake), mouth of the Buckingham canal and Pulicat lake region of the study area.
Mangroves are seen as patches and lines. Small to larger patches of mangroves are seen on
the mudflat present inside and on the banks of the river. Similarly, sparely distributions of
mangroves are also noticed along the banks of the river at many locations. Mangroves are

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also seen at few locations along the mouth of Buckingham canal, where it meets the
Kosasthalaiyar river. Mangrove associated halophytic plants are also seen with mangroves.

Three species of mangroves are observed in the study area. Avicennia marina, Avicennia sp.
and Rhizopora mucranata belonging to two family Avicenniaceae and Rhizophoraceae. The
study area is dominated by Avicennia marina, whereas Avicennia sp. and Rhizopora
mucranata are very fewer in number and limited to the northern side of the study area near
Pulicat.

Rhizopora mucranata

Avicennia marina

Figure 10: Distribution of Mangroves

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5.1.5 Mapping of other habitats

6 Literature review

6.1 Wetlands

"wetland" means an area or of marsh, fen, peat land or water; natural or artificial,
permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt,
including areas of marine water, the depth of which at low tide does not exceeds six meters
and includes all inland waters such as lakes, reservoir, tanks, backwaters, lagoon, creeks,
estuaries and manmade wetland and the zone of direct influence on wetlands that is to say
the drainage area or catchment region of the wetlands as determined by the authority but
does not include main river channels, paddy fields and the coastal wetland covered under
the notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Environment and Forest.
(MoEF, 2019)

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Five major wetland types are generally recognized:


• Marine (coastal wetlands including coastal lagoons, rocky shores, and coral reefs);

• Estuarine (including deltas, tidal marshes, and mangrove swamps);

• Lacustrine (wetlands associated with lakes);

• Riverine (wetlands along rivers and streams); and

• Palustrine (meaning “marshy” - marshes, swamps and bogs).

The MoEF&CC Wetland notification 2017 defines “Wetlands complexes" as two or more
ecologically and hydrologically contiguous wetlands and may include their connecting
channels/ducts. “Wise use of wetlands” as maintenance of their ecological character,
achieved through implementation of ecosystem approach within the context of sustainable
development and “Zone of influence” as the part of the catchment area of the wetland or
wetland complex, developmental activities in which induce adverse changes in ecosystem
structure, and ecosystem services. In order to continue the flow of benefits from wetlands
(their ecosystem services) from the perspective of intergenerational equality, sensible use
entails preserving and improving wetland values and functions. (MoEF&CC , 2017)

Zone of Influence
A zone of effect must be established in order to notify each wetland. A wetland's zone of
influence is a region where development projects are anticipated to have a negative impact
on the structure and (ecological) functioning of the wetland ecosystem. With careful
consideration for the local hydrology and kind of land use, the zone of influence's perimeter
may be established. The directly and freely draining basin should be identified as the zone of
effect for wetlands with a clearly defined surface drainage system. (MoEF&CC, 2020)

"The combination of ecosystem components, processes, and services that typify the
wetland at a given point in time" is the definition of ecological character. The wetland
ecosystem is made up of both living (biologic) and nonliving (abiotic) components.

These include:
(a) The geomorphic setting (landscape, catchment, river basin);

(b) The climate (precipitation, wind, temperature, evaporation, humidity);

(c) The physical setting (area, boundaries, topography, shape, bathymetry, habitat type and
connectivity);

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(d) The water regime (inflow, outflow, balance, surface-groundwater interactions,


inundation regime, tidal regime, quality);

(e) The wetland soil (Plant and animal communities)

A wetland use is not ‘wise-use’ if: The intervention leads to adverse changes in ecosystem
components and processes, such as:

i. Reduction in water flowing into the wetlands

ii. Reduction in the area under inundation, or changes in inundation regime

iii. Reduction and alteration of natural shoreline

iv. Fragmentation of wetlands into small patches of water

v. Reduction in water holding capacity

vi. Degradation of water quality

vii. Reduction in diversity of native species

viii. Introduction or emergence of invasive species

ix. Decline in wetlands resources, such as fish, aquatic plants, and water

6.1.1 Coastal Wetland

Coastal wetlands such as mangroves sequester carbon up to 55 times faster than tropical
rainforests. There are many services and multiple values of wetlands, many different
stakeholders are involved in wetland use, often leading to conflicting interests and the over-
exploitation of some services (e.g., fisheries or waste disposal) at the expense of others
(e.g., biodiversity conservation and flood-control). Along the Indian coastline, the brackish
water areas including marshes, backwaters, mangroves, inter-and sub-tidal measures about
14, 16,300 hectares. These areas act as feeding and nursery grounds for a variety of
commercially important fish, prawns, and crabs, inland transportation, fishing, feeding
grounds for many migratory and resident birds. The coastal zone encompasses within it a
wide variety of geomorphologic types of ecosystems. These comprise coral reefs, sand
dunes, watersheds, wetlands, estuaries, mangroves, deltas, salt marshes, ports, and
harbours.

6.1.2 Wetland Significance

Wetlands are distinctive, productive ecosystems where land and water meet. Wetlands are
essential for preserving numerous natural cycles and providing habitat for a broad variety of
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wildlife. They offer the fish and grains that feed billions while also cleaning and replenishing
our water resources. They act as a protective natural sponge during floods and drought.
Defend our coastlines from floods and drought, and combat climate change.

Wetlands, which are teeming with species, are an essential method of storing carbon.
Additionally, wetlands are incredibly productive ecosystems that deliver a wide range of
services to society on a global scale. All water-related ecosystem services are provided in
particular by wetlands. They control groundwater recharge, water quantity, and may help to
control floods and storm-related effects.

Mangrove wetlands are an effective vegetative barrier against cyclones and tsunamis. It is a
habitat for a wide variety of aquatic flora and fauna which is the source for waterfowl and
human beings. Wetlands are the major habitat for most of the world’s water birds and key
habitat for migratory species. The feeding, nesting, and stop-over places that migrating birds
depend on across and between continents require coordinated wetlands conservation
efforts among several nations. ( CBD Press, 2015)

6.1.3 Threats to wetlands

Urbanization
Rapid urbanization leading to unplanned growth of cities were natural streams and
wetlands often neglected and encroached on wetlands thereby shrinking habitat and
thereby reducing its capacity to take up storm water during storms.

Encroachment of Economic activities


Development activities pose threat to wetlands such as conversion of wetlands for
agriculture and aquaculture, Fragmentation of wetlands by the construction of roads and
other infrastructure development, which restricts natural flow water and specie migration in
wetlands. Cutting of mangrove forests in coastal wetland for fuelwood leading to
destabilization of the shore and also leading to loss of human lives and property in the case
of storm surge and tsunami.

Pollution
Release of industrial, agricultural, aquaculture, sewage effluents and improper management
of solid waste management that are disposed of through storm water into the wetlands
leading to pollution and eutrophication further leading to habitat loss.

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6.1.4 Strategies to conserve coastal wetland

The developmental activities and land-use change within wetland catchments having
adverse impacts such as enhanced siltation or pollution need to be regulated. The Land-use
change within wetland catchments needs to be systematically monitored. The
environmental impacts of developmental projects should include wetlands experts. The
plantation of trees inside the wetlands needs to be restricted. Trees should only be planted
within wetland catchments, wherein they regulate moisture regimes and silt loading. The
use of wetlands for tourism, fisheries, agriculture, and other livelihood activities should be
within the carrying capacity of the ecosystem.

The inflow of sewage into wetlands must be prevented/ treated and let out into streams.
Constructed wetlands technology may be used for the treatment of domestic and municipal
wastewater and industrial effluents.

Management interventions should include livelihood options of wetland-dependent


communities. Such interventions may be planned through stakeholder consultations and
public hearings, wherein communities’ needs and aspirations are understood, and
appropriately integrated into management plans.

Any construction of hydraulic structures which adversely impact the water and sediment
flow pattern within the wetland should be prevented. Wetlands should be made a part of
the river basin and coastal zone planning so that their ecosystem services and biodiversity
values are integrated within the planning and decision-making processes. Below mentioned
table are the services offered by lagoons.

6.1.5 Wetland governance

Given the many stakeholder and sectoral interests that support and, to a large extent,
structure the values of wetland biodiversity and ecosystem services, as well as the need to
ensure people's involvement and participation in basin-scale management for significantly
long periods of time, achieving close relationship between planning and governance is
essential (MoEF&CC, 2020).Thus, consideration of the following six governance pillars at the
basin level may be beneficial:

Institutions: Establishing efficient organizations and governance frameworks

Policies: establishing overarching objectives and detailed guidelines

Participation: Increasing the sphere of influence; and


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Technology: Possibilities and Restrictions Following sources of information and wisdom,

Finance: looking for adequate sustainable sources

6.1.6 Integrated planning

For these ecosystems, a well-balanced management strategy that addresses biodiversity


conservation values while allowing for sustainable usage in a way that is compatible with
the maintenance of the ecosystem's natural features must be used. It is advised that each
notified wetland's management be overseen by a "Integrated Management Plan" for this
reason. The term "plan" refers to a written document that outlines strategies and actions for
achieving "wise use" of the wetland. It includes management objectives, management
actions needed to achieve the objectives, factors that affect or may affect different site
features, monitoring requirements for spotting changes in ecological character and gauging
management effectiveness, and resources for management implementation. A
management plan performs a number of crucial tasks in addition to identifying resources,
such as gathering baseline data, communicating with stakeholders, and guaranteeing
adherence to legal obligations and policy commitments and coordinated planning. The
movement of water through aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems creates a close connection
between both. Water availability is a result of every land use choice. By defining a basin or a
coastal zone, one can create a separate hydrological unit that naturally integrates all
hydrological processes within its boundaries, making it the optimal and most logical unit for
managing and conserving soil, water, and biological resources. Therefore, management
planning for wetlands should consider the larger planning and management context of the
basin or coastal zone within which the site is located rather than being constrained to a
specific administrative boundary.

6.2 CASE STUDY 1: Integrated Coastal Management in the Venice Lagoon


and Watershed

6.2.1 Location

Approximately 100 kilometers along the Adriatic coast, in the northernmost point of the
Adriatic Sea, Venetian has an average width of 50 km and an average depth of 1.2 m.
Lagoon dimensions are 550 km2. A three-part ecosystem, which includes the catchment
basin, the lagoon, and the nearby upper Adriatic Sea, including the lagoon itself. A series of
natural lagoons in the northern Adriatic Sea are connected, with this lagoon being the most
significant survivor. Fish farms, dumps, and landfills, as well as dikes and drainage canals,
surround the lagoon to the west and northwest. This area has been reclaimed land that is

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used for industrial and residential reasons. Three wide apertures allow for water exchange
(Lido, Malamocco, and Chioggia). The Venetian Lagoon is subject to the control of adriatic
tides, which have a mean amplitude ranging from 20 cm during neap tides to 100 cm during
spring tides. The Venetian Lagoon receives 2.8 million cubic meters of freshwater on a daily
basis. The construction of breakwaters at the lagoon inlets, increasing dredging of the
lagoon channels for navigational purposes, and this diversion all contributed to a dramatic
change in the lagoon's morphology. The Building rock groynes and breakwaters stabilizes
the beach and lessens long shore sand transport. (Daniel Suman, 2005)

Figure 11: Venetian lagoon

Source: Integrated coastal management in the Venice lagoon and its watershed

6.2.2 Uses of the Venice lagoon ecosystem

Population - The Venetian Lagoon Basin is home to more than a million people. Due to high
unemployment, high real estate values, high costs of building maintenance, and flooding
incidents, Venice's population has plummeted from 175,000 people in 1951 to less than
70,000 people now.

Tourism - The historical city of Venice's economic engine, it employs over 10,000 people and
brings in more than a billion euros in yearly revenue. The Venetian Lagoon (VL) is under
added strain because of the tourism sector. For instance, 20,000 tonnes of waste is
generated by tourists annually or around one-third of the total. (Daniel Suman, Stefano
Guerzoni, Emanuela Molinaroli, 2005)
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Extensive tourism produces four additional adverse impacts:

1. Visitors generate more than 20,000 tons of solid waste each year. This is one-third
of the solid wastes produced in the historic center of Venice.

2. Mass tourism damages historical buildings.

3. Tourism produces serious human congestion and crowding in the historic center.

4. High numbers of visitors create difficulties for residents.

Industry - Venice is an important industrial center in Italy and the northern Adriatic region.
Most of the heavy industry is located in the 2,000 ha Porto Marghera area on the mainland,
5 km west of the historic city center. The main industries today include petrochemical
processing, shipbuilding and maintenance, coal distillation, fertilizer and pesticide
production, and non-ferrous metallurgical processing.

Fishing - The main fishing port in the VL, Chioggia, is located in the southern portion of the
lagoon and services the northern Adriatic fleet, which has about 1,200 fisherman on board.
Fishery, often using an illegal technique that blows away lagoon sediments.

Aquaculture - Over 120 fish farms ranging in size between 10 and 1,600 ha occupy the
western border of the lagoon.

Agriculture – It is an important activity in the VL drainage basin with over 80,000 farms
occupying 313,000 ha. Corn and cereals are important crops. Livestock production (240,000
head of cattle and 85,000 head of pigs) is also a major agricultural activity.

6.2.3 Impacts of sectoral activities on the environment

The principal modifications in the past have affected the hydrological regime of the rivers
flowing into the lagoon. Most of the rivers were diverted to bypass the lagoon. urbanization
along the lagoon boundary and the rest of the drainage basin, many intertidal areas have
been filled for the development of industrial areas, such as Porto Marghera t has caused the
loss of natural habitats, such as woodlands and freshwater wetlands, that were once
present along the borders and provided a “green belt”. The disappearance of this protective
green area has produced two adverse impacts:

1) The disappearance of flora and fauna and

2) The decrease of the self-purifying capacity of the ecosystem concerning nutrients.

The environmental deterioration is manifested in the decrease in the number of species of


flora and fauna and the increase in turbidity of waters. The turbidity of the water has in turn
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led to a reduction in the growth of eelgrass, a plant whose long roots consolidate the lagoon
bed and, therefore, reduce erosion. The Motorboat engines and untreateddomestic sewage
from Mestre and the surrounding city of Venice, as well as discharges from Porto
Marghera's industrial area, are common sources of contaminants.

Due to low elevation, the historical center of Venice is vulnerable to flooding. From the
beginning of this century, the difference in level between land and water in Venice has
changed by about 23 cm. The sea level has risen by about 11 cm, while the land has sunk by
12 cm because of subsidence caused mainly to excessive extraction of groundwater making
it more vulnerable to minimal tidal changes.

6.2.4 Other risks associated with the change in the relative level of land and sea include:

1. Potential impacts of waves on the fragile infrastructure of the city and the salt-induced
deterioration of its foundations and structures.

2. Subsidence and ecstasy have brought the water into contact with bricks and masonry
with increasing frequency. Stone and bricks are very porous and permit the capillary rise of
saltwater.

The VL is a complex territorial space in which cultural, social and environmental features of
international relevance coexist.

6.2.5 Integrated Coastal Management Principles (ICM)

ICM is a dynamic process in which the public authorities and the private sector develop and
implement a coordinated strategy for the allocation of environmental, socio-cultural, and
institutional resources to achieve conservation and sustainable development of the coastal
zone and its resources.

ICM should also link the catchment basin, adjacent ocean, and fishery management to
ensure conservation and sustainable use of coastal resources. It also calls for integration
between governmental authorities and the general public.

ICM could offer positive contributions to:

1) An integrated vision of both planning and management problems and

2) A 21 cross-sectoral participatory approach for the resolution of local issues (at


various scales) and problems in VL coastal area.

3) Social inclusion should be a fundamental element of policy paths leading toward


sustainable development for the Venice system.
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6.2.6 Public-Private Integration

Coordinated implementation of the various measures within the program agreement will
improve operational efficiency, optimize implementation times, reduce costs, and mitigate
the inconvenience to citizens

1. To improve and protect the environment through cleanup actions, reduction of


atmospheric emissions and discharges into the VL, and prevention of risks due to industrial
accidents;

2. To promote investment to provide industrial facilities with the best available technologies
and increase their competitiveness at the European level. These actions would provide for
job security and retraining in the use of Clean Technologies.

Specific interventions and actions such as measure to redevelop and protect the
environment

a) Excavation of channels

b) Dismantling of old industrial plants with the subsequent demarcation of safety


and reclamation zones

c) Establishment of discharge standards for the Venetian Lagoon

d) Guidelines for a safety plan in the dock areas

e) Reduction of risks in the movement of goods

f) Continuous tracking of transportation of dangerous goods

g) Voluntary agreements to obtain environmental certification for chemical


industries

h) Integrated system for environmental monitoring and the management of


industrial risk and emergencies.

i) Ecologically-oriented management of infrastructures and services

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Figure 12:Positive and negative co-relation

Source: Integrated wetland management of venetian lagoon

“Venice Coastal Committee” (VCC) - Members of the Committee would include


representatives of the broad spectrum of sectoral institutions concerned with flood
protection, water quality, shipping, industrial activities, conservation, fisheries, agriculture,
and tourism. All levels of government would also enjoy representation on the Committee.
representatives of key economic sectors and citizen NGOs would represent the public
interest and private sectors. The geographic scope of the VCC would include the VL proper,
its catchment basin, and near shore waters, perhaps to the boundary of the Territorial Sea .

 Integrated lagoon and catchment basin management must directly include resource
users. Integration of users and consensus-based decisions will guarantee the
ultimate success of management measures.
 Coordination between the management of the Venetian Lagoon, the
watershed/catchment basin, the littoral zone, as well as near shore waters must be
improved. These three areas must be managed as a single ecological unit .

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6.3 CHILIKA - An Integrated Management Planning Framework for


Conservation and Wise-Use

The integrated management framework presented in this report represents the


commitment of Chilika Development Authority, Government of Odisha, Government of
India, WISA, and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

Integrated management plan objectives are:

 Outline a management strategy to identify the objectives of site management;


 Describe the management actions required to achieve the objectives;
 Determine the elements that influence or may influence the different site features
and functionalities;
 Define monitoring requirements for detecting changes in ecological character;
 Support obtaining of resources for implementation;
 Enable communication within and between sites, organizations and stakeholders
and,
 Ensure compliance with local, national and international policies. (Chilika
development authority)

The framework brings together stakeholders at all levels while taking their needs and goals
into account in order to guarantee the conservation of the wetland environment within the
river basin. The following traits define the broad strategy for management planning. The
broad approach for management planning is characterized by the following:

 Using a river basin strategy that integrates coastal processes and catchments for
wetland protection and sustainable management
 Considering biodiversity while developing a region to lessen the effects of
development
 Participatory approaches involving local communities, scientists, NGOs and
concerned organizations to ensure sustainability of activities
 Adopting preventive measures by combating the problems at source rather than
merely curative measures

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 Revival of indigenous knowledge and traditional practices which are cost effective for
management of biodiversity
 Application of knowledge based techniques for restoration through research and
development activities
 Periodic monitoring and evaluation with focus on achieving the goals and objectives
rather than merely activities. (Chilika development authority)

Figure 13: Networks of organizations to Chilika development authority

Source: Chilika development authority

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6.3.1 Management Strategies

Key management strategies to be adopted include:

 Ensuring hydrological connectivity of Chilika with freshwater and coastal processes


at basin level
 Establishing hierarchical and multi-scale inventory of hydrological, ecological,
socioeconomic and institutional features and ecosystem services to support
management planning and decision making
 Promoting sustainable catchment management practices to manage inflow of silt
and nutrients into the wetland ecosystem (Chilika development authority)

Figure 14: Schematic diagram for formulation of management action plan

Source: Chilika development authority

 Environmental flows as basis for water allocation for conservation and


developmental activities
 Biodiversity conservation through habitat improvement of endangered and
indigenous species

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 Ecotourism development for enhancing awareness, income generation and


livelihood diversification
 Promoting sustainable fisheries for maintaining nutritional security while ensuring
maintenance of biodiversity and equitable sharing of benefits (Chilika development
authority)
 Poverty reduction through sustainable resource development and utilization and
livelihood diversification
 Promoting institutional arrangements enabling integration of wetland management
planning and river basin and coastal zone management
 Strengthening CDA with adequate legal and administrative powers to regulate
detrimental activities
 Capacity building at all levels for technical and managerial skills for implementation
of integrated management planning
 Communication, education, participation and awareness at multiple levels and
stakeholders to support management planning
 Result oriented monitoring and evaluation at activity, outcome and impact levels

6.3.2 Components of action plan

Institutional Development

Enhancing the effectiveness of current institutional arrangements to ensure conservation


and wise use of Lake Chilika.

 The CDA has a legal and regulatory obligation to control and prevent resource use
that have a negative impact on wetland ecosystems.
 presence of a business plan with CDA that is in line with management requirements
for conservation and wise use, as well as a clear strategic intent
 CDA's capacity to integrate ecological services provided by Lake Chilika into planning
and decision-making for development at the river basin and coastal zone levels.
(Chilika development authority)

Ecosystem Conservation

Ensure maintenance of critical ecosystem components and processes of Lake Chilika, which
form the basis of provision of ecosystem services.

The ambit includes:

a) Catchment conservation;

b) Water management and

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c) Biodiversity conservation.

Catchment Conservation

Creation of watershed management committees is the target micro-watersheds to


implement soil conservation measures.

Monitoring the nitrogen load input from the agricultural area into the wetland.

Promoting water and nutrient-efficient agriculture practises in lake catchment areas. (Chilika
development authority)

Water Management

Enhancing hydrological regimes and Maintenance of coastal inlets through a mix of


approaches including engineering stabilization, periodic dredging and periodic cutting of
new mouth.

Biodiversity Conservation

 Habitat needs to be enhanced for water birds


 Creation of bird habitats closer to shoreline, which would bring in ecological
connectivity
 Creation of artificial nesting sites (floating platforms / earthen mounds) for breeding
 Management of heterogeneity of vegetation particularly in Nalaban to enhance
water bird diversity
 Strengthening bird protection committees

6.4 CASE 3: Assessing habitat risk from human activities to inform coastal
and marine spatial planning: a demonstration in Belize

Home to the largest barrier reef in the western hemisphere, an extensive system of
mangrove forests and over 300 cayes, Belize’s coastal and marine ecosystems provide
habitat to a diversity of species and numerous benefits to the country and its people. Over
40% of the Belizean population lives and works in the coastal zone. World-renowned
snorkeling and diving draw more than 800 000 tourists to the region annually, and
several commercial, recreational and subsistence fisheries support livelihoods and provide
sustenance.

Understanding the impact of human activities on marine ecosystems demands open and
accessible methods for integrated coastal and ocean management. A model is presented for
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calculating the total risk that various coastal developments pose to habitats. To help in the
creation of Belize's first Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Plan, the model is
applied to the country's coral reefs, mangrove forests, and sea grass beds. Based on
extensive stakeholder engagement, review of existing legislation and data collected from
diverse sources, the current distribution of coastal and ocean activities are mapped and
develop three scenarios for zoning these activities in the future.

Provided HRA model is open-source software for assessing the risk of several types of
stressors connected with human activities to the state of coastal and marine ecosystems.
The model incorporates and expands on many of the methodologies explored in recent
years, while also providing structural flexibility to adapt to local conditions. The concept is
accessible to a wide range of users thanks to accessible applications (Guerry et al 2012,
Sharp et al 2014). The model is implemented and tested in Belize to estimate present risk to
three critical coastal and marine ecosystems and to understand how risk will vary under
many plausible future management scenarios. Findings were utilised to help construct
Belize's first Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Plan, which will be evaluated by
the national legislature in 2015 (Clarke et al 2013, McKenzie et al 2014).

6.4.1 Methodology and tool for risk assessment


Estimating habitat risk, allows us to quantify the risk that comes from habitat presence and
function. When combined with models that predict habitat-induced changes in ecosystem
services such as storm protection or tourism revenue, our habitat risk assessment (HRA) can
aid in evaluating trade-offs between human activities and the advantages that ecosystems
give to people.

This method is essentially a risk ranking system built for coastal and marine settings.
Researchers employ two dimensions of information, as in prior studies, to evaluate risk or
effect on ecosystem components (

Error: Reference source not found; Halpern et al 2008, Patrick et al 2010, Samhouri and
Levin 2012). The two of these features are referred to as 'exposure' and 'consequence,' with
exposure being the degree to which a habitat suffers stresses as a result of a specific human
activity, given the effectiveness of management practices. The habitat-specific response to
stressors connected with various human activities is reflected in consequence.

Ecosystem risk assessment studies tend to estimate risk as the Euclidean distance for a
specific habitat-activity combination in risk plots. Quantifying the habitat-specific effect of
various human activities (i.e., consequence) is a special problem in risk estimation. In
general, cumulative impact mapping studies elicit consequence information from expert
opinion.Although much of the input data for the model we describe might be built from
expert opinion, we instead estimate outcome based on a set of criteria for which
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information is easily accessible in the peer-reviewed literature. For many policy-making


processes, outcomes based on scientific literature are chosen above expert opinion for
objectivity, reproducibility, and transparency.

Researchers amalgamate and expand on these approaches to create a model that can be
customised to a variety of ecosystems and policy requirements. It's known as the HRA
model, and it's part of the Natural Capital Project's InVEST toolkit (Guerry et al 2012, Sharp
et al 2014). Because the model is publicly available in open-source software, government
planners, NGOs, and other stakeholders can use it to examine future scenarios for managing
coastal and marine ecosystems.

Figure 15: Conceptual diagram depicting how exposure and consequence criteria are combined to estimate risk

6.4.2 Estimating habitat risk

HRA model offers two approaches for evaluating the risk posed to habitats by numerous
stressors: the multiplicative approach, in which threats to habitat i caused by stressor j is
estimated as the product of exposure and consequence.

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Euclidean approach in which risk to habitat i caused by stressor j is the distance to the origin
for a particular habitatstressor combination in a plot with exposure and consequence axes

Error: Reference source not found. Using the Euclidean framework, the risk to species
increases with distance from the origin and exposure and consequence exert equal
influence on risk.

To estimate exposure and consequence for habitats, we developed several new criteria
based on the cumulative impact and risk assessment literature for ecosystem components.
These include four criteria for quantifying exposure and four for consequence (table 1).

To estimate exposure of habitats to human activities, the model requires information on

(1) spatial and

(2) temporal overlap between habitats and activities,

(3) intensity of the activity and

(4) effectiveness of management strategies for reducing exposure.

For biogenic habitats the resilience criterion encompasses the natural mortality rate,
recruitment rate, dispersal potential and recovery time of the habitatforming species. For
non-living habitats, whose resilience cannot be captured through demographic rates,
resilience is evaluated through estimates of recovery time to pre-disturbed conditions.

Spatial assessments used InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Environmental Services and


Tradeoffs) version 2.5.6 to assess and quantify habitat risk and ecosystem services in coastal
areas [51]. The Habitat Risk Assessment (HRA) model produces maps of habitat risk and
informs how each habitat exposes each threat or stressor in marine and coastal areas. The
risk of stressors that came from human activities is modeled in four steps. First, the model
determines the likelihood of the exposure and consequence. ‘Exposure (E)’ exposes the
habitat to the stressor, and ‘consequence (C)’ is the result of this exposure. The model
produces exposure and consequence scores on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 3 (greatest) risk,
Exposure and consequence are weighted averages of the exposure values ei and
consequence values ci for each criterion i as:

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Table 6-2: Definitions and scoring bins for the exposure and consequence criteria

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where ei represents the exposure value, ci represents consequence value, di is the data
quality rank, and wi is the importance weights for each criterion i. N is the number of criteria
for each habitat [51]. Second, the model combines both the exposure and consequence
values and produces a risk value (R) for each stressor-habitat combination. The risk value is
that stressor j causes risk to habitat i, and Rij is quantified using Euclidean Risk calculation
[51].

The third step calculates the sum of risk values for each habitat, and finally the model
assesses and maps the habitats’ risk hotspots.In this context we use the InVEST HRA model
presented here to assess risk to coral reefs, mangrove forests and seagrass beds, under the
current distribution of uses and under three altenative scenarios designed during the
planning process (Clarke et al 2013).

Our risk results are incorporated into the ICZM Plan as a metric for evaluating alternative
management scenarios and to estimate future values of ecosystem services.

6.4.3 Habitat risk under three future zoning scenarios for human activities

To understand the influence of human activities on coral reefs, mangrove forests and
seagrass beds in the future, we assess habitat risk under three alternative scenarios (i.e.,
conservation, informed management and development) for coastal and ocean uses (Figure
16 (b)–(d), S5–7). The scenarios are based on maps of the current distribution of ocean and
coastal activities, existing and pending government plans, and stakeholders’ values and
preferences.

Conceptually, the scenarios reflect three visions for the future of Belize in 2025. The
Conservation scenario represents a vision of long-term ecosystem health through
sustainable use and investment in conservation. The Development scenario prioritizes
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immediate development needs over long-term sustainable use and future benefits from
nature. The Informed Management scenario blends strong conservation goals with current
and future needs for coastal development and marine uses.

Figure 16: Current (a) and three future zoning scenarios for human activities—(b) conservation, (c) Informed Management,
and (d) Development

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Figure 17: Area of coral reef, mangrove forests and seagrass beds at high, medium and low risk under the Current and three
future scenarios of human activities.

The Belizean government is putting forward the Informed Management scenario as the
preferred spatial plan for zoning human activities. The government’s recommendation
stems in part from the estimated reduction in risk to coral reefs, mangrove forests and sea
grass beds under this scenario. Results suggest that this plan would lead to an increase in
the area of coral, mangrove and sea grass at low risk of degradation from human activities
and a decrease in the area of habitat at high risk, relative to the current configuration of
human activities and the Development scenario.

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While the Conservation scenario provides the best outcome for habitats, it restricts
expansion and relocation of several activities critical for the Belizean economy, including
coastal development and marine transportation. Considering multiple social and ecological
goals is central to the vision of marine spatial planning. Risk to coastal and marine habitats
provides a metric for evaluating conservation outcomes and can be used in conjunction with
ecosystem service models to estimate potential change in social and economic outcomes
under alternative management scenarios.

7 Methodology

Figure 18: Proposed Methodology

Source: Author

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7.1 Detailed methodology for Assessment

Figure 19: Detailed assessment – Methodology

Source: Author

8 HRA - Model

The Natural Capital Project recently developed a habitat risk assessment (HRA) model to
assist in the evaluation of biodiversity and habitat quality (Tallis et al. 2011, Guerry et al.
2012, Arkema et al. 2014, Sharp et al. 2014). The HRA model is included in an open‐source
software suite called Integrated Valuation of Environmental Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST),
and similar to other recently developed risk assessment tools, uses a geographic
information system (GIS) to map cumulative impacts to a species or its habitat (Andersen et
al. 2004, Halpern et al. 2008, Grech et al. 2011).

The InVEST HRA model combines two dimensions of information to calculate risk to a
species or its habitat (Arkema et al. 2014, Sharp et al. 2014). The first dimension is exposure;
it represents the degree to which the habitat of a given species experiences stressors,
typically due to a human activity. Exposure is a function of the degree of spatial and
temporal overlap between habitat and a stressor, stressor intensity, and effectiveness of
management strategies mitigating stressor impacts.

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Figure 20: Conceptual diagram depicting the primary inputs and outputs of the InVEST HRA model.

Circles found on blue arrows indicate use of Eqs. 1, described in detail in Methods: HRA
model description. Spatial exposure of habitat to stressors (i.e., a stressor–habitat
combination) is determined using habitat and stressor maps (see Figs. 3 and Figure 4 for
habitat and stressor maps used in this study). For each stressor–habitat combination, the
user rates each exposure and consequence attribute; ratings are stored in a data table and
applied to each pixel within a stressor–habitat combination. The model can accommodate
any rating scale, but the default is 1–3, where 1 is low (yellow), 2 is medium (orange), 3 is
high (red), and 0 is no data (white).
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Exposure attributes include temporal overlap, intensity, and management effectiveness.


Consequence attributes include information about sensitivity of habitat to stressors (change
in area, change in structure, disturbance frequency) and resilience of habitat/species (rates
of recruitment, maturity, mortality, and dispersal). For each pixel within a stressor–habitat
combination, overall exposure (E) to a stressor is calculated as a weighted average of all
exposure attributes (Eq. 1), and overall consequence (C) for habitat/species is calculated as
a weighted average of all consequence attributes (Eq. 2). Overall E and C are combined to
calculate and illustrate risk (R) for each pixel within a stressor–habitat combination Eq. 3.
Relative levels of exposure and consequence averaged across pixels for each habitat–
stressor combination are illustrated in risk plots, and cumulative risk of all stressors to a
habitat is calculated Eq. 4 and mapped by pixel for each habitat.

8.1 Habitat risk assessment model description

The InVEST HRA model allows the user to indicate the quality of data used to score exposure
and consequence criteria and to weigh the importance of each criteria relative to other
criteria (Sharp, 2014) (Tallis, 2011). Overall exposure (E) and consequence (C) are calculated
as weighted averages of exposure values ei and consequence values ci for each
criterion i where di represents the data quality rating, wi represents the weight of
importance for each criterion i, and N is the number of criteria evaluated for each habitat.

We used an additive, or Euclidean, approach to estimate risk (R), which can be visualized by
plotting habitat–stressor combinations along exposure and consequence axes (Fig. 2). The
model produces E and C scores on a scale of 1–3 (low to high risk), but the approach is
flexible and can be adapted to any range of risk categories appropriate to the context. Here,

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risk to habitat i caused by stressor j is the Euclidean distance to the origin for this habitat–
stressor combination, (Tallis, 2011) (Sharp, 2014)

Model output includes risk plots depicting relative levels of exposure and consequence for
each habitat–stressor combination. Risk plots allow visualization of risk and efficient
selection of actions most effective in managing each stressor.

For example, whereas stressors with high levels of both exposure and consequence, such as
invasive Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius; red circle in risk plot) may require intensive
intervention, stressors with high consequence but lower exposure, such as digging (brown
circle with black outline in risk plot) may be managed more effectively with monitoring and
preparation for treatment following exposure (Dawson et al. 2011) (Sharp, 2014) (Tallis,
2011).

Last, to assess the influence of multiple activities, the cumulative risk of all stressors on each
habitat i is calculated as the sum of all risk scores for each combination of habitat and
activity j as Rij

9 Model inputs

9.1 Mapping of the habitat and stressors

We used a satellite maps to identify habitat and stressors such as species of mangrove
forest, fishes, Crabs, Prawns, Molluscs. Abiotic habitats such as Canal, Saltpans, Marsh land,
Open scrub land are considered as habitat input for HRA models.

Stressors, defined as any factor that might threaten the existence of species inhabiting
prairie on the base, were identified during data collection. The process of identifying
stressor included both interviews with biological experts and literature reviews investigating
relationships between potential stressors and the study. We included five training‐activity
stressors in HRA models dumping carried out on Ennore Creek and Buckingham Canal, Ash
ponds, Invasive species, Polluting industries, Piers and transportation lines causing siltation.

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9.2 Exposure

Exposure criteria might include, the extent of geographic overlap between a habitat-stressor
pair, the duration of time that the stressor and habitat overlap, the intensity of the stressor,
and the degree to which management strategies mitigate impact.

 Spatial overlap : To assess spatial overlap in the study area, the model uses maps of
the distribution of habitats or species and stressors

 Overlap time rating : Temporal overlap is the duration of time that the habitat or
species and the stressor experience spatial overlap. Some stressors, such as
permanent structures, are present year-round. Other stressors are seasonal, such as
certain fishing practices or recreational activities. Similarly, some habitats (e.g.
mangroves) or species are present year round

 Intensity rating : Exposure depends not only on whether the habitat and stressor
overlap in space and time, but also on the intensity of the stressor.

 Management strategy effectiveness rating. Management can limit the negative


impacts of human activities on habitats. Effective management strategies will reduce
the exposure from stressors to habitats or species. The effectiveness of management
of each stressor is scored relative to other stressors in the region. So if there is a
stressor that is very well managed such that it imparts much less stress on the
system than other stressors, classify management effectiveness as “very effective.”

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Figure 21:Exposure scoring for the canal againts the stressors

9.3 Consequence

The risk of a habitat or species being degraded by a stressor depends on the consequence of
exposure. Consequence is determined by both the sensitivity of a habitat to a specific
stressor and the resilience of a habitat to resist and recover from disturbance in general. As
a default, the model includes three specific measures of sensitivity (change in area, change
in structure, and frequency of similar natural disturbance) and four measures of resilience
(natural mortality rate, recruitment rate, age at maturity, and connectivity).

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Recruitment rating (biotic habitats only)

Frequent recruitment increases recovery potential by increasing the chance that incoming
recruits can re-establish a population in a disturbed area. I.e. Higher recruitment confers
greater resilience and is therefore scored lower. As with all criteria, higher numbers
represent greater exposure or consequence and result in higher risk scores.

If criteria are scored on a 1-3 scale, the following is a suggestion for scoring natural
recruitment rate:

Age at maturity/recovery time

Biotic habitats or species that reach maturity earlier are likely to be able to recover more
quickly from disturbance than those that take longer to reach maturity. For habitats, we
refer to maturity of the habitat as a whole (i.e., a mature kelp or temperate forest) rather
than reproductive maturity of individuals. For abiotic habitats, shorter recovery times for
habitats such as mudflats decrease the consequences of exposure to human activities. In
contrast, habitats made of bedrock will only recover on geological time scales, greatly
increasing the consequences of exposure.

If criteria are scored on a 1-3 scale, the following is a suggestion for scoring
maturity/recovery time:

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Connectivity rating (biotic habitats only)

Close spacing of habitat patches or population subgroups increases the recovery potential of
a habitat or species by increasing the chance that incoming recruits can re-establish a
population in a disturbed area. Connectivity is relative to the distance a recruit can travel.
For example, patches that are 10km apart may be considered poorly connected for a species
whose larvae or seeds can only travel hundreds of meters and well connected for a species
whose larvae or seeds can travel hundreds of kilometers. As with all criteria, higher numbers
represent greater exposure or consequence and result in higher risk scores.

If criteria are scored on a 1-3 scale, the following is a suggestion for scoring connectivity:

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Figure 22: Consequence scoring for the canal against stressor

9.4 Cumulative Risk to Habitats or Species from Multiple Stressors

To provide an integrative index of risk across all habitats or species in a grid cell, the model
also calculates ecosystem risk. Ecosystem risk for each grid cell l is the sum of habitat or
species risk scores in that cell. We present a model for analysing the cumulative risk to
ecosystems posed by numerous Creek users.

To inform the design of Ennore Creek's Integrated Management Plan, we apply the model to
biotic habitats such as dominant species of mangrove, crabs, sponges, mollusc, prawns, and
fish identified in the site area, as well as abiotic habitats such as salpans, marshes, open
scrub, and canal. We map the current distribution of coastal and ocean activities and create
two scenarios for zoning these activities in the future based on substantial stakeholder
interaction, a review of existing legislation, and data collected from many sources. The
danger to the ecosystem is then estimated under present and future situations.

9.4.1 Cumulative risk of Creek from multiple stressors

Under current scenario, exposure and consequence scoring cumulative risk score are
calculated for the abiotic habitat canal against all the stressors including ash ponds, illegal
dumping, Polluting industries, transportation lines such as roads and piers cutting across the
creek and Invasive species of flora and fauna.

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STRESSOR EXPOSURE CONSEQUENCE RISK

(FROM ALL STRESSORS) 1.583397 1.162254 0.892328


Ash ponds 1.593369 1.111484 0.829953
Illegal Dumping 1.711159 0.998176 0.998542
Invasive species 1.831943 1.50481 1.120423
Polluting Industries 1.982765 1.416261 1.236031
Road & Piers 1.50089 1.17257 0.859432
settlement 0.880258 0.770226 0.309588

Figure 23: Risk plot for the creek against the stressors

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Figure 24: Habitat Risk map - Canal

STRESSOR E_MEAN C_MEAN R_MEAN R_%HIGH R_%MEDIUM R_%LOW


HABITAT

canal ALL 1.58 1.16 0.89 60.4 15.2 14.9

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9.5 Habitat Risk maps

Applying the same method used in generating Canal - habitat risk scores, maps are
generated for other biotic and abiotic habitats against all the considered stressors.

Habitat risk map of Mangrove species


Species of mangroves are observed in the study area

 Avicennia marina
 Rhizopora mucranata

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Habitat risk map of Fish species


Rastrelliger kanagurta, Rhabdosargus sarba, Sphyraena jello, Alepes melanoptera
and Selaroides leptolepis were the most abundant fishes in the study area. Reef fishes are
poorly occurs in the marine zone.

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Habitat risk map

OPEN SCRUB MARSH LAND

CRABS AND PRAWN SPECIES SALT PANS

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Habitat risk map of Sponges and Mollusc species

9.6 Total risk of Ecosystem

This raster layer depicts the sum of habitat cumulative risk scores divided by the number of
habitats occurring in each cell. It is best interpreted as an average risk across all habitats in a
grid cell. For example, in a near shore grid cell that contains some coral reef, mangrove, and
soft bottom habitat, the ecosystem risk value reflects the sum of risk to all three habitats in
the cell.

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10 Proposals

After the thorough study of aspects discussed in earlier chapters that has a direct and
indirect bearing on the Ennore wetland complex, the proposals have been developed
integrating the spatial planning approach.

10.1 Regional level

The regional level policies on water conservation, clean fuel, industrial policy, zero waste
management environmental policy zones, and spatial planning approach has been
proposed.

10.1.1 Kostalaiyar basin

Due to the rapid development of industrial projects in the Kostalaiyar basin, eco-industrial
parks can be incorporated by taking zero liquid discharge into cognizance. Ecodevelopment
of order 3 settlement in proximity to Ennore creek, through Decentralized waste water
system (DEWATS) for sanitation and NADEP method for solid waste management. Narayan
Deotao Pandharipande of Maharashtra invented the NADEP Composting technique of
organic composting. Using the NADEP technique, solid waste is managed by composting in a
rectangular brick tank with aeration holes. Compost is created by layering organic waste,
and it takes roughly 3 months to complete. (Kumawat, 2017)

10.1.2 Ennore creek

The proposal for Restoration of Ennore creek in a systematic stepwise manner to reduce
stresses on the creek. There should not be any industrial development until the complete
restoration of the creek and maintenance and monitoring through an ecosystem health card
is in place and CEPI scores of the Manali industrial estate is reduced to safe limits.

The strategies on effective management of Buckingham canal by not letting sewage directly
into the creek and proper management of solid waste management.

10.2 DEVELOPMENT ZONES AND SAFEGUARDS

Environmental safeguards:
Some of the environmental safe guards for CMR are conservation of Ennore creek through
incorporating or enhancing blue-green infrastructure in the watershed of Ennore creek. Any
new settlement proposed needs to have a proper buffer as per industrial siting atlas by
NIUA. New industrial projects in CMR & CBIC should be allowed abiding by green industrial
complex & eco parks. The new development should undergo EIA as per it’s notification and

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an EMP should be developed in accordance of the industrial symbiosis concept. Industrial


clusters should adhere to the zero liquid discharge, recycling of water for industrial use by
conserving environment. Air and water pollution monitoring programmes should be under
taken for critically polluted areas to be retrofitted and rejuvenated.

Social safeguards
The CMR and towns needs to have an Infrastructure improvement for Slums & weaker
sections and rehabilitation of them to safer zone after a through Social Impact Assessment.

10.3 Green industrial policy (GIP)

The goal of green industrial policy (GIP), a strategic government initiative, is to hasten the
growth and development of green industries in order to facilitate the transition to a
lowcarbon economy. Green businesses, such as renewable energy and low-carbon public
transportation systems, confront high prices and numerous risks in the context of the
market economy, necessitating the need for green industrial policy. Because of this, they
require assistance from the public sector in the form of industrial policy until they are ready
to make a profit. Natural scientists caution that prompt action is required to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions and lessen the impact of climate change. Social scientists contend
that government action and governance reform are necessary for climate change mitigation.
In order to address the economic, political, and environmental challenges of climate change,
governments adopt GIP.

GIP provides chances for the transition to renewable energy sources and a low-carbon
economy. Lack of support from business and the general public is a major obstacle for
climate policy, yet GIP generates advantages that encourage support for sustainability. It
can produce a "green spiral," or a process of feedback that mixes commercial interests with
climate policy, as well as strategic niche management. Employees in growing and fading
industries can be protected by GIP, which boosts political support for other climate policies.
As political support grows, there is a greater likelihood that carbon pricing, sustainable
energy transitions, and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will be successful.

10.4 Zero waste management policy

Zero waste management refers to a comprehensive approach to waste management that


acknowledges waste as a resource produced during the transitional stage of the resource
consumption process. Zero waste methods can be used in businesses, communities,
industrial sectors, educational institutions, and residences since they involve a wide range of
stakeholders, including both environmental and technological ones. When it comes to waste
management and handling back into the industrial cycle, sustainability is also firmly backed

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by cost savings, more jobs, and environmental protection. Resource management and
product management should be thought as global resource demand decline.

In order to achieve zero waste, one must:

• Increase recycling;
• Decrease trash;
• Decrease consumption;
• Ensure that items are made to be reused, mended, or recycled; and
• Invest in sustainable products.
Energy savings, particularly those related to the extraction, processing, and transportation
of raw materials and trash, and a decreased or finally eliminated demand for landfills and
incinerators are all ways that zero waste systems lower greenhouse gas emissions.

10.5 Riparian vegetation along the Creek

A riparian buffer of 15 m along rivers as per NIUA guidelines is proposed, Riparian


vegetation recharges groundwater and stabilizes bank structure, and reduces erosion along
the river bank. The below mentioned map represents identified stretches for riparian
plantation along the Ennore Creek.

Riparian vegetation is essential for maintaining aquatic and terrestrial food webs, controlling
microclimates and water quality, avoiding riverbank erosion and encouraging landform
stability, and supporting a variety of aquatic, amphibious, and terrestrial animals.

Figure 25: Section of riparian ecosystem

Source: United states forest service


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10.6 Zero liquid discharge

Figure 26: Zero liquid discharge conceptual diagram

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A strategic wastewater management method called zero liquid discharge (ZLD) makes sure
that no industrial effluent will be released into the environment. Using recycling to treat
wastewater, followed by recovery and reuse for industrial purposes, this is accomplished.
(Amutha, 2017)

Any new industries proposed in line with the Zoning atlas for Industrial siting and should be
only allowed after a detailed assessment on environment management plan, and disaster
risk reduction. As per TCPO report on river centric urban planning guidelines, it is regulate
developmental and industrial activities upto 5 kms from the banks of the river stretches
having floodplains. (Town and country planning organisation MoHUA, 2021).

10.7 Industrial symbiosis

The process by which the wastes or by-products of one industry or industrial process
become the raw materials for another is known as industrial symbiosis. Application of this
idea makes it possible to use resources in a more sustainable manner, which helps to
establish a circular economy. (Industrial symbiosis, n.d.)

Figure 27: Industrial symbiosis example

Source: Google image

The North Chennai power plant produces fly ash, wet ash, and steam as by-products. Fly ash
generated in a thermal power plant can be used to make fly ash bricks in Zauri cement. The
steam can be used in the madras fertilizer plant and flared gas generated in Bharat

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petroleum can be used in thermal power plant. Sulphuric acid generated in Bharat
petroleum can be used in Madras fertilizers.

Figure 28: Ennore creek industrial symbiosis

10.8 Ennore Creek restoration

The encroachments needs to be removed in proximity to Ennore creek. All industrial waste
such as fly ash, hazardous waste should be cleared in proximity to the creek and should
bring in strict enforcement of penalization in case of violation.Constant inspections to avoid
any leakages of fly ash slurry into the creek. Air monitoring system with alarm to keep
emission within limits.

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10.8.1 Slums

The infrastructure improvement for slum and infrastructure poor communities by the
provision of community toilet and ensure sewage is not let out into Buckingham canal
where it joins Ennore creek. Solid waste management measures in these areas to prevent
waste into the creek.

10.8.2 Restoration

The Government of India launched the Scheme for Repair, Renovation, and Restoration
(RRR) of Water Bodies with the goals of reviving, renovating, and rehabilitating the
traditional water bodies. Other goals include comprehensively enhancing and restoring
water bodies to increase tank storage capacity and ground water recharge. (CPCB, 2019).
Restore depth of creek by dredging portions which area heavily silted.

Riparian vegetation is suggested on both sides of the creek to provide land and aquatic food
web zone. Mangrove plantation of native species such as Avicenna marina and Rhizophora
mucronate are planted on identified zone as mentioned in the maps. No new development
and construction of roads should be allowed until the restoration of the creek and
monitoring through ecosystem health cards. The fisherfolks high dependency on the creek
should be reduced by diversification of livelihoods to sustain fish resources and to alleviate
them from poverty.

10.8.3 CEPI

The Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI) technique has been developed to
quantify, comprehend, and address polluters. By demystifying the complexity of
environmental issues, CEPI helps to close the perception gap between specialists, the
general people, and government agencies. It seeks to classify severely contaminated
industrial locations according to scientific standards in order to determine different
pollution dimensions. This comprehensive methodology is used to quantify the effects
industrial clusters have on the area's ecosystem. The evaluated CEPI score indicates the
industrial clusters' environmental quality and serves as a benchmark for measuring the
effectiveness of pollution reduction strategies. Any further development in and around the
Ennore creek can be permitted if CEPI of Manali industrial area is less than 80 for a
minimum of 3 consecutive years.

10.8.4 Monitoring

A committee needs to be set up by state pollution control board in these polluted areas
where a constant monitoring on the creek can take place post restoration. Any violation by

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the industries and thermal power plants, strict actions to be taken against them for closure
of industries. The ecosystem and biodiversity enhancement of the wetlands needs to have
ecosystem health card post restoration process and need to checked annually.

10.9 Mangrove afforestaion

CReNIEO is non-governmental organization focusing on mangrove restoration around


Pulicat village, the organization actively encourages Community based ecological restoration
with the help of funding partner global nature network.

Community based mangrove plantation

Enhances engagement with mangrove forests, highly effective with community


participation, involving the community in the preparation of the planning and
implementation of mangrove management, Labor intensive, community engagement and
empowerment plays key role.

Mangrove afforestation zone

The southern Pulicat has illegal aquaculture, which is a prohibited activity as per eco
sensitive zone notification. The primary step would be removal of existing illegal
aquaculture ponds. The Soil will need proper pH of soil in order to have successful growth of
the species, with the remediation of soil and detailed study on properties of soil. The
selection of species such as Avicenna marina, Rhizophora mucranata per Zone suitability.
Community engagement plays crucial role in successful of the project. NGO’s and
stakeholder involvement with funding agencies. Incentives for community for protection
and monitoring.

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Cost estimation for afforestation of pilot project (Guidance on new planting and
supplementary planting technique for 3 mangrove plant species)

The above table refers to the species of plants to be grown on lagoon zone and mid zone of
spacing 1.5m x 1.5m through planting with potted method and direct planting.

The above table refers to the cost estimation for the materials required for mangrove
afforestation. The approximate estimated value is Rs. 5,20,500/- per hectare.

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11 Management scenario – Risk Map

Analysis is performed after changing the intensity of the stressors to the habitat by calibrating
various criteria values, complying with the recommendations and management plan proposed to
visualize the risk mapping in the informant management and conservation of habitats scenario.

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