Our nation facing a crisis of capitalist greed
Since the new NDA government came to power, they have
made many disaster decisions relate to environment conservation &
protection. So many projects have been approved via emails without even
visiting those sites & now the battle for saving Wetlands has reached its
final level.
So
what are Wetlands- A
wetland is man-made or natural water body very close or submerged within the
nearby land. It can be lakes, extended river banks, sea mud-flats, mangrove
land & wet forest land.
Despite their vital importance to humans, across India, wetlands are seriously threatened by reclamation and degradation through processes of drainage, landfilling, discharge of domestic and industrial effluents, disposal of solid waste, and overexploitation of the natural resources that they offer. In its effort to save and protect wetlands, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has invoked Article 51A of the Constitution, which makes it a Fundamental Duty of every citizen “to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife”.
India is one of the 169 signatories to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. There are 2,241 Ramsar sites across the world, including 26 spread across India from Wular Lake in Jammu and Kashmir to Ashtamudi Wetland in Kerala, and from Deepor Beel in Assam to Nal Sarovar in Gujarat.
Why
are they important- Wetland is a phenomenon made naturally & sometime
man-made. Water is life, and wetlands are the life support systems that ensure
functioning of the water cycle. Wetlands help recharge groundwater aquifers,
cleanse polluted waters, protect shorelines and act as sponges to mitigate
floods. The extensive food chain and biological diversity in wetlands make them
‘biological supermarkets’. Wetlands are valuable as sources, sink and
transformers of a multitude of biological, chemical and genetic material. In
addition, wetlands have special attributes as cultural heritage of humanity,
and have deep connections with our beliefs and practices. They are indeed an
important part of our natural wealth and “liquid assets”.
What the new Draft Policy- 2016 The
proposed policy as expected has been designed to not only destroy a large part
of wetlands in India but also hand over a large portion of it to private
companies. A green-lung wetland which prevents floods & is home to
thousands of birds/animal might be converted to a park or sports academy, which
is completely unacceptable. The new draft almost fully scrap the 2010 guideline
designed by the UPA government, which did an exceptionally good job work saving
the wetlands of India. Here are some cheap changes done by the current government,
which not only irk a conservationist but also impact a normal citizen’s daily
life & livelihood.
There are the changes the central government is planning to make-
1. Overseeing Body 2010 Rules:
The Centre created the Central Wetland Regulatory
Authority (CWRA), headed by the Secretary, Ministry of Environment, and
consisting of bureaucrats and experts.
Draft Rules 2016: Propose the removal of this body entirely, and its
replacement by a State Level Wetland Authority in each state. According to the
draft Rules, the power to identify and notify wetlands would be vested in the
Chief Minister, who as chief executive of the state government as well as of
the state wetland authority, will propose and notify wetlands after accepting
or rejecting recommendations. While transferring powers from the central to the
state authority, the draft has left out powers such as the one to periodically
review the list of wetlands and the activities prohibited in them, and the
power to issue “whatever directions (are) necessary for conservation, preservation
and wise use of wetlands”. The Rules simply ask the state authorities to take
“necessary directions for conservation and sustainable management of wetlands”.
–
2. Time-Bound Action
2010 Rules: Wetlands have to be notified
within a year of the Rules coming into force, and there are deadlines for each
process along the way: 6 months for identification and classification, 30 days
to send it to a research institute for reference and opinion, 90 days for the
research institute to submit its opinion. The rest of the time is available for
fulfilling notification formalities, which pass through the central authority.
Draft Rules: Do away with the time-bound
process for notification.
3. Permitted Activities
2010 Rules: Activities prohibited in wetlands
include reclamation, constructing permanent structures within 50 m, setting up
or expanding industries, throwing waste, etc.
Draft Rules: The entire list, apart from
reclamation, has been deleted. Activities that make “wise use” of wetlands have
been permitted. The state authority is to decide what does, and doesn’t, amount
to “wise use”.
4. Restricted Activities
2010 Rules: 12 activities including fishing,
boating, dredging, etc. are restricted without prior permission from the state
government.
Draft Rules: Do not address the issue of prior
permission for any activity.
5. Terminology
2010 Rules: State that the Rules apply also
to “areas rich in genetic diversity” and “areas of outstanding natural beauty”,
besides protected areas.
Draft Rules: Have removed those words.
6. Wetland complexes
2010 Rules: Include “wetland complexes”,
which are a set of wetlands dependent on each other.
Draft Rules: Have removed the provision for
wetland complexes.
7. Environmental Impact
2010 Rules: An Environment Impact Assessment
(EIA) is compulsory before undertaking any activity in a wetland area.
Draft Rules: Make no mention of the need to
conduct an EIA.
8. Size Specifications
2010 Rules: Cover all wetlands and wetland
complexes larger than a specified area — 5 hectares for high-altitude regions,
500 hectares elsewhere.
Draft Rules: Only those wetlands notified by
the state government; no size specified.
9. Citizens’ Check
2010 Rules: Allow a challenge to a decision
taken by the CWRA before the NGT.
Draft Rules: CWRA is gone; there is no mention
of a person’s ability to challenge the state authority’s decision.
What can you do to save Wetlands- We have time till
6th June to share our thoughts & stop the government to do this atrocity
on Wetlands of India. Write a mail with your thoughts to b.sikka@gov.in, ram.jindal@nic.in c.singh@nic.in Use the following language if
possible-
Subject- Views on the Draft rule 2016 Wetland policy India
“Dear
sir,
I being a citizen of this country urge you to scrap this
proposed draft rule policy on Wetlands-2016, as it not only might destroy our
Wetland structure but also can create major threats in future like Floods,
effect on fishery, impact on social lives of people around Wetlands in India.
We
urge you not to grant too much power to states on this matter. No activities or
construction should be allowed in or around atleast 100 meter – 2 kilometer of
these sensitive areas (based on the size of Wetland). We also request you to
include the terms “areas rich in genetic diversity” and “areas of outstanding
natural beauty”, besides protected areas to ensure we keep these eco-sensitive areas
safe.
We cannot
allow as citizens to open our Wetlands to be open for private investments &
making them tourism zone by affecting the bio-diversity of those places.
We
urge you to rework on the Draft rule policy of Wetland-2016 after considering
our views & put it out again for public review.
Thanks
Sources-
Image credit- Mid-day.com
