iasscore:: Draft wetland Management rules

Draft wetland management rules

Context

The Draft Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2016, which seek to replace the older Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2010, are open for public comments until May 31. 

Details of the event

    Key features of the guidelines

1. As per the new draft Rules, state governments and union territories would now have to form a wetland authority comprising of top secretaries from various departments such as environment, urban development, rural development, water resources, fisheries, irrigation, tourism along with experts from each field. 

2. The state wetlands authority will be responsible for identifying wetlands to be notified which would then be forwarded to Centre.

3. The move is part of the ministry’s efforts to decentralize decision-making to states. The step would give more powers to states to protect and regulate wetlands.

4. The previous rule called for creation of a Central Wetlands Regulatory Authority (CWRA) while 2016 draft says all state governments shall set up a state level wetlands authority entrusted with affairs related to wetland conservation, regulation and management.

Analysis

Criticism of the Guidelines

1. The new draft has omitted some types of wetlands that were protected in the 2010 version. Wetlands located within a UNESCO world heritage sites such the mountain chain of Western Ghats and high altitude wetlands that were protected under 2010 Rules find no mention in the new draft.

2. Unlike the 2010 rules, which specified that activities such as solid waste dumping, storing of hazardous material, setting up of new industries, discharge of untreated waste and effluents is prohibited in wetlands the new draft rules do not spell out the list of activities prohibited. 

3. While retaining the prohibition on reclamation of wetlands, the 2016 draft states that only those activities “likely to have an adverse impact on ecological character of the wetland” would be prohibited, leaving the scope of protection ambiguous.

4. Many Environmentalists believe that giving responsibility to State government to prepare an inventory of wetlands in their territory and to identify wetlands to be regulated under these rules is is not decentralizing but outsourcing the job to the state government. The centre can’t wash off its hands like this. The ministry will have to come up with some mechanism to ensure who is going to decide what will be the activity that would impact wetlands and is in spirit of wetland protection.

5. In case a state government does not form the state level Wetlands authority, the GOI has kept no handle with it to ensure implementation of the central Environment Protection Act, 1986 under which these rules have been made, nor any time limit been set by the MoEFCC in the Rules wherein a state shall set up the said Wetlands Authority.

Additional information

 What is Wetlands?

1. Wetlands mean an area of marsh, peatland or water, natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt and all inland and coastal waters such as lakes, reservoirs, tanks, backwaters, lagoons, creeks, estuaries and man-made wetlands. But it does not include river channels and paddy fields.

2. Under the Ramsar convention of 1971, named after an international treaty signed in Ramsar, Iran in 1971 for protection of wetlands India has identified 25 wetlands. Asthamudi wetlands in Kerala, Bhitarkanika mangroves and Chilika lake in Odisha, East Kolkata wetlands, Kolleru lake in Andhra Pradesh and Vembnad-Kol wetlands are some of the most famous wetlands of the country.

Functions of Wetland

1.  wetlands are considered the lifelines of society due to the services they provide, Some of the important ecological services they provide include 

(A) water supply and purification;

(B) waste assimilation;

(C) buffer against extreme events as floods, droughts, storms and cyclones; 

(D) groundwater recharge; 

(E) erosion control 

(F) They also support recreational, social and cultural activities, as well as harboring a range of floral and faunal diversity.

(G) They can also help in mitigating and adapting to changing climate through their ability to act as carbon sinks, regulate water regimes, prevent erosion and provide a habitat to biodiversity under stress.

Important threats to Wetlands

Wetlands are seriously threatened by reclamation and degradation as a result of drainage and landfills, pollution (domestic and industrial effluents, disposal of solid waste) resulting in loss of biodiversity and disruption of the wetland systems.