1. National and International Environmental regulations relevant to port and harbour projects,
2. Screening and scoping to determine the type of EIA,
3. Baseline studies,
4. Prediction of Environmental impacts,
5. Risk assessment factors,
6. Environmental Management Plan (EMP) to mitigate and offset the adverse environmental impacts of the project and to protect the environment and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) giving details of the studies carried out for EIA.

The EIA guidelines for wastewater disposal through marine outfalls address the following issues:

1. Environmental legislations applicable to locate an outfall facility in the coastal zone, discharge standards of treated waste water and coastal water quality criteria for different uses;
2. Baseline assessment;
3. Analysis of alternatives

a. Alternative selection of pipeline route.

b. Alternative technology i.e. alternative waste water treatment and disposal option.

4. Environmental impacts of marine outfall;
5. Optimisation of the location of the outfall and design; and
6. Monitoring the performance of a marine outfall.

Monitoring of Ennore Shoals using GIS.

 The Project Directorate will develop such model plans for Goa and Gulf of Kachchh. The task of collecting the primary and secondary data required for preparation of the plan for both the sites is entrusted to NIO, Goa. These plans are expected to be completed by December 2003.

The following are identified as key issues for ICMAM Plan for Goa:

1. Sustainable development of tourism sector.
2. Mining activities and management of waste.
3. Decrease of fishery resources
4. Landuse changes.

The issues identified for Gulf of Kachchh are:

1. Proposed large-scale developmental activities that are likely to cause serious problems to ecosystem.
2. Movement of oil tankers and accidental oil spill that may pose threat to marine ecosystem, composed of mangrove and corals and resources like salt.
3. Increasing salinity in the eastern part of Gulf of Kachchh.

The major tasks involved in this exercise are as follows:

• Documentation of water and sediment quality data collected under the COMAPS Programme along the coastal areas, location of industries and human settlements;
• Documentation of details on the coastal habitats, land use/land cover pattern, coastal infrastructure, socio- economic activities and developmental activities;
• Identification of existing coastal water uses of developed, undeveloped and under-developed areas, if any;
• Preparation of designated best use classification for coastal waters.

Under the project on Application of Remote Sensing for management of coastal habitats sponsored to Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad, a methodology for eco-geomorphological zonations for selected coral reefs in the Gulf of Kachchh, Lakshadweep Islands, Gulf of Mannar and A&N Islands, using Indian Remote Sensing Satelitte's (IRS) LISS III and panchromatic data, was developed. Coral reef features such as reef slope, reef crest, algal ridge, boulder bed, outer reef, inner reef, coral knolls, etc., have been identified. A methodology for identification of major mangrove communities such as Avicennia, Rhizophora, Sonneratia, Brugeuria, Ceriops, etc., was also developed using IRS LISS III and PAN data. This work was carried out in selected areas of Gulf of Kachchh, Goa, Coringa, Bhitarkanika, Sunderbans and A&N Islands.

Digital database on land use, coral reef, etc., for A&N Islands and criteria based models were developed to classify coastal zone, based on environmental sensitivity as well as coastal regulation zone requirements.