**8. Conclusion**

Assessment of carrying capacity is imperative for the coastal zone of India which is facing rapid changes due to various developmental activities. Broadly, the concept of carrying capacity refers to the ability of a system to support an activity or feature at a given level. Coastal zones provide a variety of services and tourism is being practiced increasingly along many coastal states of India. The tourism industry has environmental, social, cultural, and economic impacts. Tourism carrying capacity assessment remains one of the most useful tool when measures taken for management of coastal areas. Overall measuring TCC does not have to lead to a single number (threshold), like the number of visitors. Even when this is achieved, this limit does not necessarily obey to objectively, unchangeable, everlasting criteria. An upper and a lower limit of TCC can be of more use than a fixed value. They are dependent on technology, preferences, and the structure of production and consumption. They are also varying with the changing nature of interaction between the physical and biotic environment.

The present assessment of the TCC for the beaches of south Andaman showed that the tourism activity is in lower level with its carrying capacity. This type of carrying capacity assessment can be used as an input into the regular planning process. The ANI can be promoted for highvalue low-volume eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable tourism. There are other issues related to water supply, sewage disposal, electricity and energy which are to be given additional importance on a sustainable basis while planning for tourism development in these islands, as tourism activity will add additional burden with regard to available infrastructure and resources. The present requirement of water for Port Blair is 28.80 MLD. At present, only 90% of the total demand is available for supply. Sewerage and drainage system in Port Blair and surrounding region is challenges in terms of land availability, rainfall runoff to the sea because of the terrain. Sewage discharge has been projected to be 45 MLD for Port Blair surrounding region by the year 2041 [45]. A comprehensive analysis on land use and water availability, fresh water management, alternative sewage disposal methods considering the island sensitive ecology, biodiversity extent and status, seawater quality and pollution level for every island would further help for developing better tourism development strategies. The Administration should ensure that the tourist resorts and homes and related establishments should promote (i) self-generation of electricity using renewable energy sources such as solar panels, bio-gas systems, etc.; (ii) development of additional freshwater resources through rain water harvesting; and (iii) provisioning for sewage treatment plants.
