Land resource management of coastal areas in Indian cities: Comparative assessment with prevailing methods

Abstract

Indian coastal cities, enriched with a variety of marine resources, are a major driver of economic growth where the Indian coast provides shelter to a large part (∼49%) of the total population in India. Proper planning of coastal resources is crucial for sustainable development, which can be achieved through advanced planning methods. Current methods for the planning of coastal landscapes in Indian coastal cities are ineffective in sustainable utilization of coastal resources and need improvements. This paper evaluates the application of the new planning method for classification of coastal landscapes in Mumbai city. The new method incorporates geospatial technology and multicriteria decision-making approach. The existing method of coastal area classification is based on Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notifications by the central government, which has ambiguities in implementation. In the new method, coastal areas of Mumbai city are classified based on the physical eligibility of the coast for management of coastal resources and spatially compared with prevailing unscientific classification of coastal areas. The most dense urban area is considered for quantitative comparison of prevailing and new classification approach. Results of coastal area classifications by both methods disclosed the significant differences among different classes of coastal land. The results are validated with field visits and ground truthing along the coast of Mumbai. The findings of this study will enable the stakeholders to utilize available coastal land resources in an efficient manner for developmental and conservational activities at regional and neighborhood scale.