NGT slaps ₹10 crore penalty on Kerala government for failure to protect Ramsar sites
- March 25, 2023
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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NGT slaps ₹10 crore penalty on Kerala government for failure to protect Ramsar sites
Subject : Environment
Section: Ecosystem
Context: The Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal in New Delhi has slapped a penalty of ₹10 crore on the Kerala government for its failure to check the indiscriminate pollution of the Vembanad and Ashtamudi lakes, listed as Ramsar sites.
More on the News:
- The Bench, led by its chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel, said that the penalty imposed on the basis of the ‘polluter pays principle’ had to be deposited in a ring-fenced account to be operated under the authority of the Chief Secretary.
- The deposit had to be made within a month, it said while disposing of a petition alleging failure of statutory and administrative authorities in taking remedial action for protection of the Vembanad and Ashtamudi lakes hit by illegal waste dumping.
- The penalty of ₹10 crore had to be utilised for conservation/restoration measures by preparing an action plan to be preferably executed within six months.
- The Bench said the report depicted the disappointing state of affairs in ensuring the mandatory duty of protecting wetlands, which are Ramsar sites, in spite of binding orders of the Supreme Court in similar cases.
- Action taken at the State level was also inadequate to remedy the situation. The State cannot plead helplessness in implementing guaranteed rights of the citizens and also in taking stringent measures for protection of environment and public health.
Polluter Pays Principle
- Polluter Pays Principle (PPP) states that those who pollute the environment should bear the costs of their actions to prevent or mitigate damage to the environment. The PPP is based on the idea that the polluter should pay for the costs of pollution, rather than passing them on to others.
- The PPP was first introduced in 1972 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in its Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The principle has since been incorporated into various international environmental treaties and agreements, including the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development.
Vembanad Lake
- Vembanad Lake is also known asVembanadKayal, VembanadKol, Punnamada Lake (in Kuttanad) and Kochi Lake (in Kochi).
- Spanning several districts of Kerala and covering a territory of more than 2033.02 km2.
- The lake has its source in four rivers, Meenachil, Achankovil, Pampa and Manimala
- It is separated from the Arabian Sea by a narrow barrier island and is a popular backwater stretch in Kerala.
- Vallam Kali (i.e Nehru Trophy Boat Race) is a Snake Boat Race held every year in the month of August in Vembanad Lake.
- In 2002, it was included in the list of wetlands of international importance, as defined by the Ramsar Convention.
- It is the second-largest Ramsar site in India only after the Sundarbans in West Bengal.
- The Government of India has identified the Vembanad wetland under the National Wetlands Conservation Programme.
- The Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary is located on the east coast of the lake.
- In 2019, Willingdon Island, a seaport located in the city of Kochi, was carved out of Vembanad Lake.
- One of the most outstanding features of this lake is the 1252 m long saltwater barrier, Thanneermukkom, which was built to stop saltwater intrusion into Kuttanad.
Ashtamudi Lake
- Ashtamudi Lake or AshtamudiKayal, in the Kollam District of the Indian state of Kerala, is the most visited backwater and lake in the state.
- It possesses a unique wetland ecosystem and a large palm-shaped (also described as octopus-shaped) water body, second only in size to the Vembanad estuary ecosystem of the state.
- Ashtamudimeans ‘eight braids’ in the local Malayalam language.
- The name is indicative of the lake’s topography with its multiple branches.
- The lake is also called the gateway to the backwaters of Kerala and is well known for its houseboat and backwater resorts.
- Ashtamudi Wetland was included in the list of wetlands of internationalimportance, as defined by the Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands.
More details on NGT https://optimizeias.com/ngt-appointed-committee-holds-kochi-corporation-responsible/