Odisha To Lead India In Formulation of ICZM , Shore Line Management Plan

24 May, Bhubaneswar

Odisha will lead the country in formulation of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan (ICZM) and shoreline management plan for sustainable management of the coasts.

The Odisha state project management unit(SPMU) has completed the regional coastal process study, a significant primary data collection method and a necessary step towards the preparation of ICZM plan.

ICZM Project Director Ajit Kumar Pattnaik said the state is all set to initiate the process of ICZM planning after the approval of the 6th state steering committee chaired by state chief secretary Gokul Charan Pati today.

The plan is expected to be completed within 15 month time,official sources here said. With this the tasks of infrastructure building, disaster management, establishing commercial set ups and ecosystem conservation process across coasts would be simple soon,he said.

Patnaik said the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan (ICZM) for Odisha coast would be formulated based on Sediment Cells delineated by NCSCM, Chennai falling between the coastal stretches of Gopalpur to Chilika (116 km) and Paradip to Dhamra (80 km).

The zone of consideration extends landward up to 15 km from high tide line (HTL) or outer limits of coastal village or town or river having 5ppt salinity in dry season whichever is farther and sea ward up to 12 nautical miles towards sea from the low tide line – LTL. In order to achieve this objective and prepare the ICZM plan for Odisha, a consultancy firm is selected under ICZM project to execute the work within a 15 month time frame