integrated coastal zone management project west ... - Iczmpwb.org

188387. A solid data base as part of M & E system on relevant aspects of coastal zone is a prerequisitefor any program of investigation and planning of intervention on any or all aspectsof sustainable development and/or use of the coastal zone of West Bengal includingcontinued sustainability of the coastal environment. Several investigations and planningefforts can draw data from the same base and be sure about commonality of data so that anyintegration of results of different investigations will not suffer from uneven data quality anddensity at any level. The most important items that need to be inventorised includedetails of physical and biological resources of different natural subdivisions ofthe coastal zoneextent and magnitude of vulnerability of different sectors of the coastal zoneto natural disastersextent of bio-diversity and fragility of the eco-systemdetails of eco-system functioning and its interaction with physical andphysico-chemical processes of different sectors of the coastextent of pollution of the coastal environment (mainly water environment)current land use pattern of the coastal zonesocio-economic condition of the coastal population including livelihooddetailsmanagement interventions that are already in place and those that arecontemplated in futuremeasurement of important aspects of physical processes in near shore andcoastal areas388. Preparation of data base on the above aspects will involve collection of monitoreddata from the accredited institutions (like water quality data from WBPCB). Some primarydata can be reliably generated at the laboratory with field verifications (like land use map ofthe coastal zone). A large part of the data base is to be built up from ground surveys either infull or in the form of sample survey supplemented by accessing the data being collected bythe grass root agencies of the government. These will include, for example, information onsocio-economic condition including means of livelihood of local population in Sundarbanareas available with Sundarban Development Board and in Digha-Sankarpur area availablewith DSDA, management measures already undertaken by Irrigation and WaterwaysDepartment at Digha to prevent coastal erosion, livelihood enhancement measures offishermen undertaken by the Fisheries Department, improvement of agricultural purposes,development infra-structural facilities by the SDB, etc.