SC asks Centre to respond on plea to protect 2.31 lakh wetlands mapped in country

SC asks Centre to respond on plea to protect 2.31 lakh wetlands mapped in country

Subject: Environment

Section: Ecosystem

Context:

• The Supreme Court on July 10 recorded that the number of wetlands in the country has expanded from 2.01 lakh to 2.31 lakh since 2017, and sought the Centre’s response on a plea to protect the enhanced wetland areas which act as a natural protection from floods.

Details:

• The increased number of wetlands was geo-mapped by Indian Space Research Organisation’s Space Application Centre and recorded in the ‘Indian Wetlands Atlas’ of 2021.
• The wetland identification and conservation had been decentralised after the notification of the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017.

Wetlands:

• Wetlands are defined as: “lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems where the water table is usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water”.

Status of wetlands in India:

• India has nearly 4.6% of its land as wetlands, covering an area of 15.26 million hectares.
• Wetlands declared as Ramsar sites are protected under strict guidelines of the convention.
  • There are currently over 2400 Ramsar sites in the world covering an area of 2.5 million sq. kilometres.
  • India has 75 Ramsar sites as of July 2023.

Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017:

• For effective conservation and management of wetlands in the country, the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 supersede the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2010.
• The 2017 rules act as the regulatory framework for the conservation and management of wetlands in India.
• It changed the management of wetlands away from a central body and toward state-level organisations.
• The regulations outline the National Wetland Committee’s advisory duty, which includes reviewing the development of integrated management of Ramsar Convention areas as well as advising state agencies on the wise-use concept when it comes to wetlands.
• They offer guidance on a number of different topics, including:
  • identifying wetlands for notification under the Rules
  • delineating wetlands
  • wetland complexes, and zones of influence
  • preparing a Brief Document
  • creating a list of activities to be regulated and permitted
  • addressing the structure and operational issues of the Wetlands Authority.

Salient features of the Rule:

• A State Wetland Authority (SWA) be established in each state and union territory, to be led by the state’s environment minister.
  • A variety of government representatives will be present. Hydrology, socioeconomics, landscape design, fisheries, and wetland ecology each had one specialist.
  • They will choose the “smart use principle” that will control how wetlands are managed.
  • The principles of sustainable use that are acceptable to conservation are referred to as “wise use.” Powers have been decentralised as a result of this.
  • The SWA must compile a thorough list of the activities that must be governed and approved in the notified wetlands and their zone of influence.
  • Add further activities that should be forbidden in some wetlands.
• Develop plans for a more effective use of wetlands.
• Recommend actions to protect wetlands and to increase local communities’ and stakeholders’ knowledge of the significance of wetlands.
• The Central Wetlands Regulatory Authority will be replaced by the National Wetland Committee (NWC), which will be led by the MoEFCC secretary.
• The rules forbid activities like encroachment of any kind, the establishment and growth of industries, waste disposal, and the discharge of untreated wastes and effluents from businesses, cities, towns, villages, and other human settlements.
• State authorities are required to compile a list of all wetlands and a list of wetlands that need to be informed within six months.
• It will serve as the foundation for the creation of an exhaustive digital inventory of all wetlands, which will be updated every 10 years.

National Wetland Committee (NWC)

• NWC (National Wetland Committee) will be established for:
  • Observing how regulations are being applied.
  • Advising the national government on the best policies and strategies to implement in order to conserve and use wetlands wisely.
  • Recommending that wetlands be designated as having international significance under the Ramsar Convention.
  • Advise cooperation with international organisations on wetlands-related concerns.
  • Activity restrictions: The regulations forbid the dumping of solid trash into wetlands as well as the discharge of undesirable material from towns, cities, businesses, and other locations.
  • It is prohibited to use a wetland area for non-wetland uses or to build a permanent structure there.