Institutional Framework Governing Waste Management And Pollution In Chennai Fishing Harbour
- IJLLR Journal
- 50 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Abu Backer Razaak Elham S, LLM (International Law and Organisation), University of Madras
ABSTRACT
This article critically examines the institutional framework governing waste management and pollution control in Chennai Fishing Harbour (Kasimedu), one of the most significant marine fish landing centres in South India. Adopting a doctrinal and policy-analytical methodology, the article interrogates the structural gap between the legal scope of regulatory authority and the measurable performance of institutions mandated to implement environmental norms.
The governance architecture examined encompasses the Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), Coastal Zone Management Authority (CZMA), and Chennai Port Authority. The article evaluates how constitutional mandates under Articles 48A and 51A(g) of the Constitution of India, the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, and Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 interact—and frequently conflict—in regulating harbour environmental performance.
Empirically grounded in field-observation evidence from Kasimedu, the study identifies four principal pathologies: (i) jurisdictional fragmentation among overlapping agencies; (ii) chronic under-investment in waste processing infrastructure; (iii) absence of meaningful community participation mechanisms; and (iv) weak and selective enforcement. Comparative analysis of harbour governance models in Norway, Japan, Singapore, the European Union, and Australia reveals viable institutional templates adaptable to Chennai's socio-economic context.
The article concludes with a ten-point reform matrix recommending the establishment of an Integrated Harbour Management Authority, decentralised organic waste processing, real-time pollution monitoring, mandatory waste segregation infrastructure, and participatory harbour environmental committees. The article argues that bridging the scope- performance divide requires not merely stronger law, but transformative institutional design.
Keywords: Chennai Fishing Harbour; Kasimedu Fish Market; Waste Management; Marine Pollution; Institutional Governance; Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board; Environmental Law; Coastal Regulation Zone; Scope vs Performance; Fisheries Policy.
