CRZ Clearance for Coastal Projects
How do I get CRZ clearance for a coastal project?
Answer (assuming the project is in India): apply to your State or UT Coastal Zone Management Authority (CZMA) before you start work. The CZMA has 60 days from receiving a complete application to clear the project or send a recommendation to the authority that does. Which authority that is depends on your CRZ category and whether the EIA Notification, 2006 also applies. The rules in force are in the CRZ Notification, 2019 (G.S.R. 37(E), 18 January 2019), as amended by S.O. 4886(E) and S.O. 5495(E). It replaced the 2011 Notification (Kerala DoECC compilation, pp. 5-6).
1. Check whether you need CRZ clearance at all, and who grants it (para 7)
- Any permitted or regulated activity covered by the Notification needs CRZ clearance before it starts (para 7(i)).
- Purely in CRZ-II or CRZ-III: the CZMA clears it. If the project also crosses CRZ-I or CRZ-IV, MoEFCC clears it on the CZMA's recommendation (para 7(iii)).
- In CRZ-I or CRZ-IV: the Central Government clears it on the CZMA's recommendation. The CZMA decides certain exceptions itself: stand-alone jetties, salt works, slipways, temporary structures and erosion-control works such as bunds, seawalls, groynes, breakwaters and sand nourishment (para 7(ii)).
- Also covered by the EIA Notification, 2006: you get one combined (composite) EC + CRZ clearance. MoEFCC grants it for Category A projects and the State EIA Authority (SEIAA) for Category B, both on the CZMA's recommendation (para 7(iv)).
- Buildings below the EIA 2006 built-up-area threshold: the State or UT planning authority approves them after the CZMA recommends. Self-dwelling units up to 300 m² need only local-authority approval, with no CZMA recommendation (para 7(v)-(vi)).
- Atomic energy, defence and strategic projects: the Central Government handles them, except those purely in CRZ-II or CRZ-III (Note to para 8(ii)(c)).
2. Prepare the application to the CZMA (para 8(i))
- (a) Project summary in the Annexure-V format.
- (b) Rapid EIA covering marine and land components, as applicable. Building and housing projects are exempt.
- (c) Comprehensive EIA with cumulative studies if the site is on a low or medium eroding stretch under the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP). Buildings below the EIA threshold are exempt.
- (d) Risk Assessment Report and Disaster Management Plan, with the same exemption for buildings below the threshold.
- (e) CRZ map at 1:4,000 showing the high and low tide lines (HTL/LTL) and ecologically sensitive areas. It must be drawn by a Centre-identified agency using the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) demarcation.
- (f) Project layout drawn over that map, showing the project boundary and its CRZ category under the approved CZMP.
- (g) CRZ map of roughly 7 km radius around the site, showing CRZ-I to IV and other notified sensitive areas.
- (h) Consent to Establish or NOC from the State Pollution Control Board (or UT Pollution Control Committee) if treated effluent or sewage will be discharged. If you don't have it yet, you must get it before construction starts.
3. Appraisal and decision (para 8(ii)-(iv))
- The CZMA checks the application against the approved CZMP and the Notification. Within 60 days it either decides the case itself (CRZ-II/III cases and the listed exceptions) or forwards a recommendation to MoEFCC or SEIAA.
- MoEFCC then decides within 60 days.
- If the CZMA is not functioning, for example because it is being reconstituted, the State or UT Environment Department recommends instead (pp. 25-26).
4. Validity and after clearance (para 8(v)-(vii))
- The clearance is valid for 7 years. Construction must be finished and operations started within that time.
- You can get one extension of up to 3 years if you apply before expiry and the CZMA recommends it.
- You must file half-yearly compliance reports on 1 June and 31 December, in hard and soft copy. They are made public (p. 27).
Points to watch
- Which zoning map applies: until your State's CZMP has been updated under the 2019 Notification, projects are appraised against the CZMP prepared under the 2011 Notification (para 6(i), p. 22). Confirm which version your CZMA is using.
- Islands: backwater islands and islands along the mainland coast have a 20 m CRZ (para 10.2). The 2019 Notification does not cover Andaman & Nicobar or Lakshadweep (p. 6).
- How the rules changed from 2011: the 2011 procedure (para 4.2 of S.O. 19(E)) required a Form-1 and gave a 5-year validity [1]. The 2019 Notification uses the Annexure-V project summary instead and extends validity to 7+3 years.
Approach: I used the MoEFCC CRZ gazette archive hosted on PARIVESH, which only goes up to 2017 and so holds the 2011 Notification. For the 2019 Notification and its amendments I read the consolidated text compiled by the Kerala Government's Environment Department. The compilation gives two dates for S.O. 5495(E): 24 November 2022 on its cover and 26 November 2021 in its footnotes.
I can look up live CRZ proposals on the PARIVESH register for a particular State, for example to see typical processing status.
What are the different CRZ zones?
Answer (India): the CRZ Notification, 2019 (para 2.0) splits the coastal zone into four categories, three of them subdivided. CRZ-I covers ecologically sensitive areas (IA) and the intertidal zone (IB). CRZ-II is developed urban shoreline. CRZ-III is relatively undisturbed land, split into IIIA and IIIB by population density, each with a No Development Zone. CRZ-IV is water area, split into the sea (IVA) and tidal water bodies (IVB). Para 3 also names "areas requiring special consideration." (Kerala DoECC compilation, pp. 8-10)
The 2019 zones
| Zone | What it covers (para 2) |
|---|---|
| CRZ-IA | Ecologically sensitive areas and geomorphological features (the most critical zone): • mangroves, plus a 50 m buffer where the stand is over 1,000 m² • corals and coral reefs • sand dunes • biologically active mudflats • national parks, marine parks, sanctuaries, reserve forests and other protected areas, including Biosphere Reserves • salt marshes • turtle nesting grounds, horseshoe crab habitats, sea grass beds and bird nesting grounds • archaeological and heritage sites |
| CRZ-IB | The intertidal zone, between the Low Tide Line (LTL) and the High Tide Line (HTL) |
| CRZ-II | Developed land up to or close to the shoreline, inside existing municipal limits or legally designated urban areas. It must be substantially built-up (more than 50% of plots built on) and have drainage, approach roads, water supply and sewerage |
| CRZ-IIIA | Rural or undisturbed land not in CRZ-II, with population density above 2,161 per km² (2011 census). The No Development Zone (NDZ) is 50 m from the HTL once the 2019 Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) is approved; until then it is 200 m |
| CRZ-IIIB | Other CRZ-III land, with density below 2,161 per km². NDZ of 200 m from the HTL |
| CRZ-IVA | Water and sea bed from the LTL out to 12 nautical miles |
| CRZ-IVB | Water and bed of tidal water bodies, from LTL on one bank to LTL on the other. It runs from the river mouth up to where salinity falls to 5 ppt in the driest season |
Points to note
- Tidal water bodies: in CRZ-III, the NDZ along tidal water bodies is 50 m from the HTL or the width of the creek, whichever is less. The NDZ does not apply inside notified port limits (para 2.3.3).
- Mangroves behind bunds: under the 2021 amendment S.O. 4886(E), mangroves that grow beyond a bund or sluice gate because of saline water ingress are classed as CRZ-IA, whatever their size (pp. 7-8).
- Special consideration areas (para 3):
- Critically Vulnerable Coastal Areas (CVCA): the Sundarbans, the Gulfs of Khambhat, Kutch and Mannar, Malvan, Achra-Ratnagiri, Karwar, Coondapur, Vembanad, Bhitarkanika, Coringa, East Godavari and Krishna
- backwater islands and islands along the mainland coast
- Greater Mumbai
- Which map decides your zone: until your State's CZMP is updated under the 2019 Notification, the CZMP prepared under the 2011 Notification is still used for appraisal (para 6(i), p. 22).
What changed from 2011
- The 2011 zones were CRZ-I A/B, CRZ-II, a single undivided CRZ-III, and CRZ-IV A/B [1].
- The 2011 NDZ was a flat 200 m from the HTL on the seafront and 100 m along tidal water bodies [1].
- The 2011 special areas were Greater Mumbai, Kerala's backwaters and backwater islands, Goa, and the CVCAs [1].
- In 2019, CRZ-III was split by population density (IIIA and IIIB), and the 50 m NDZ for IIIA was introduced.
Approach: I took the 2011 classification from the MoEFCC gazette archive on PARIVESH, which runs only to 2017. For the 2019 Notification as amended, I read the consolidated text published by the Kerala Government's Environment Department.
I can set out what activities are allowed in each zone (para 5) next if that would help.
Who approves it, the state authority or the ministry?
Answer: it depends on the zone and the project type. Under the CRZ Notification, 2019, the State or UT Coastal Zone Management Authority (CZMA) clears projects that sit only in CRZ-II or CRZ-III. MoEFCC (the Central Government) clears projects in CRZ-I or CRZ-IV, on the CZMA's recommendation. The CZMA is your entry point in every case: it either decides the application or sends its recommendation to the body that does (para 7, Kerala DoECC compilation, pp. 24-26).
| Situation | Who grants it |
|---|---|
| Only in CRZ-II and/or CRZ-III | State/UT CZMA (para 7(iii)) |
| Also touches CRZ-I or CRZ-IV | MoEFCC, on the CZMA's recommendation (para 7(iii)) |
| In CRZ-I or CRZ-IV | MoEFCC, on the CZMA's recommendation (para 7(ii)) |
| These listed works in CRZ-I/IV: stand-alone jetties, salt works, slipways, temporary structures, and erosion control (bunds, seawalls, groynes, breakwaters, sand nourishment) | State/UT CZMA (para 7(ii) exceptions) |
| Also needs EC under the EIA Notification, 2006 | One combined EC + CRZ clearance: MoEFCC for Category A, SEIAA for Category B. Both act on the CZMA's recommendation (para 7(iv)) |
| Buildings below the EIA 2006 built-up-area threshold | State/UT planning authority, after the CZMA recommends (para 7(v)) |
| Self-dwelling units up to 300 m² | Local authority only; no CZMA recommendation needed (para 7(vi)) |
| Atomic energy, defence and strategic projects | Central Government, except projects purely in CRZ-II/III (Note to para 8(ii)(c)) |
Timelines: the CZMA has 60 days to decide the case or send its recommendation, and MoEFCC then has 60 days to decide. If the CZMA is not functioning, the State or UT Environment Department makes the recommendation instead (para 8(ii)-(iv), pp. 25-26).
How to tell which applies to you: find your site's category on the approved Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) map. Until your State's CZMP has been updated under the 2019 Notification, that is still the plan prepared under the 2011 Notification (para 6(i), p. 22). Then check whether the project is listed under the EIA Notification, 2006.
Approach: The MoEFCC CRZ document archive on PARIVESH only holds the 2011-era texts, so these rules come from the consolidated CRZ Notification, 2019 (as amended), published by Kerala's Department of Environment and Climate Change.
If you tell me the State and project type, I can look up comparable CRZ proposals on PARIVESH to show which authority handled them.