Present status of coastal pollution in India and future strategies

Abstract

One of the important aspects of environmental management, particularly of India's Exclusive Economic Zone, involves the preservation of its quality. Because of rapid economic development, the stress on the environment is increasing. This requires environmental assessment, which would concentrate on short- or long-term monitoring of pollution resulting from human settlement, and industrial and agricultural activities. In addition, the threat of pollution associated with offshore oil and gas exploitation in the continental shelf has been a major concern in recent years. Domestic sewage and industrial effluents are recognized as the most important problems in certain isolated coastal regions such as the Hooghly estuary, Vishakhapatnam harbour, Vellar estuary, Cooum river, Adyar estuary, Cochin backwatrs, Bombay harbour and Mahim creek, and the Mandovi and Zuari estuaries. This paper deals with the present state of coastal pollution, problems of immediate concern, and future strategies for better management and exploitation of living and non-living resources