Mangaluru: The union government has given its approval for the integrated development of the coast within the limits of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts in the state through the Rs 310 crore ‘Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan’ and the work on the same is expected to begin soon.
For the project which costs Rs 310 crore, 50% of the amount will be provided by the World Bank. The remaining 30% and 20% of the amount will be provided by the union and state governments respectively.
An identical project was started in Gujarat, Odisha and West Bengal in 2010 with assistance from World Bank and was completed in 2018. In the second phase, the project will be implemented in 9 states including Karnataka and Kerala, and 4 union territories. A separate office has been started I Mangaluru for the management of the project.
New life to ‘Bagundi Lake’
Bagundi lake and Kudoumburu stream at Baikampady has been polluted by industrial waste. A part of this project is to make sure that industrial waste does not mix with streams and lakes.
What is the aim?
The aim of the project is the development of mangroves in shallow areas, prevention of sea-river pollution by industries, researching the reason behind the death of aquatic animals, improvement of the lifestyle of fishermen and dwellers along the coast and the creation of a training centre in this regard.
Aim to create a mangrove centre
Mangroves thrive at estuaries where the salt water of the sea and the sweet water of the river meet and the mangrove play a vital role in the reproductive cycle of aquatic animals. Mangroves are spread across 7000 hectares of the west coast including Aghanashini, Kali, Sharavati, Kundapura and other areas. There is an aim to start a mangrove centre here also, informs
Mahesh Kumar, Assistant Director of Fisheries Department
Integrated development of the coast
“Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan will be implemented in the state at the cost of Rs 310 crore. This project is very important for the purpose of the integrated development of the coast,” said
Dr Y K Dinesh Kumar, Regional Director, (Environment) Mangaluru
