This article is submitted by Anshika Agarwal, pursuing B.A.LLB from VIPS, IP. The article aims to discuss the policies and methods adopted by the Government to counter the effect of human activities and cater the management of wetlands in an effective way. The article scrutinizes the methods adopted, providing suggestions to carry out the process of wetland management in an effective manner.

Introduction

Wetlands directly or indirectly can be credited with the regulation of the ecosystem of a place. From serving as a home to a varied species of flora and fauna to modulating the hydrological cycles by maintaining the groundwater levels, they play a pertinent role. However, phenomena like population upsurge, pollution dwelling and inappropriate waste dumping activities have constantly resulted in the depletion of these natural possessions.

The studies conducted by South Asia Network on Dams and Rivers (SANDRP), reveals the present day concerns of Ramsar wetlands sites in all the four zones of India. For instance, Kolleru Lake in the South that measured 308 sq. kms. in November 1999 was reported as an area existing only on paper by the reports of November 2019. Punjab that was home to 6 Ramsar sites reportedly lost 35 percent of its wetlands owing to human-induced activities. Thus, the data collected immediately diverts our concerns towards the management and conservation of the wetland sites.

Wetlands management

The anthropogenic activities have always posed a consistent threat on the biodiversity of these areas. This calls for a comprehensive set of policies and regulations to preserve and manage the sustainability of these areas. Hence, there has been a constant response aiming at the management of these areas with the ultimate aim of combating global warming and Climate change, on the part of the government.

Objectives to realise by the management of the wetlands

The news excerpts continue to shock the human conscience with incidents of endangered and threatened wildlife species. The studies conducted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature 2018, reveals that 17 birds species have been labelled as critically endangered and 20 as endangered. This can be credited to the disturbances created in the ecological cycle by human activities. 

Thus, a proper plan, policies and regulations are awaited suggesting the short term, long term methods, techniques to prevent the endangerment of a plethora of species of flora and fauna. This can be done only by protecting their habitat in urban and rural areas by managing wetlands and coastal areas that offer a home to such species.

Another objective to realise is the reduction in the levels of greenhouse emissions due to increasing anthropogenic activities. A well-formulated plan managing the wetland sites would aim at monitoring these activities in a way that the environment is the least to get affected.

Policies and Methods to promote wetlands management

Ramsar Convention

The Convention also termed as “The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance”, contracted in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, outlines the basic international framework to be followed by the signatories for better international cooperation to achieve mutual ends in maintaining the sustainability of the wetlands. The nations bounded by the Convention have an onus to promote a sage use of transboundary wetlands with respect to the territorial waters.

The Convention provides for the maintenance of a record named “Montreux Record” of the wetland sites that have experienced or are on the verge of experiencing ecological disturbances due to human-induced activities. The contracting parties have the authority to add or remove the sites from the record. 

World Wetlands Day: The day is celebrated on the 2nd of February every year to mark the signing of the Ramsar Convention in Iran. The day aims to create awareness on climate changes, global warming, upsurging pollution levels as the contributing agents in the deterioration of the wetlands.

 National Wetland Conservation Plan

The Central Government in close coordination with the States and UTs proposed NWCP during the years 1985 – 1986 with the sole aim of preventing further degradation of the wetland sites. The Centre was made responsible for providing the States and UTs with financial help, technical whereabouts, extensive guidelines monitoring the management of these areas, for proper implementation. 

Process laid by the Guidelines

The plan put forwards the guidelines for the process of identification and funds raising schemes to be complied with by the States and the UTs.

Identification

The plan mandates the States/ UTs to submit a proposal for the identification along with the supplying of relevant information including the topography, legality, and threats associated with that area. The criteria for conferring the wetlands with the status of national importance is the same as that of Ramsar Convention.

Funding

The process of funding involves execution of the Management Action Plan and the Research Projects. 

Management Action Plan

The management of the wetlands is the primary duty of the States and UTs having jurisdiction over them. There lies an onus on these States/ UTs to submit a comprehensive plan for a period of 3 to 5 years, outlining the ordeals, short term strategies and objectives regarding the management of these areas. The Central Government then, based on the availability of funds and compliance to the rules and procedure set, approves the plans followed by the release of funds for its execution.

Research Projects

The Central Government provides sponsorships for the research projects undertaken by the universities and academicians to promote the concept of techniques to preserve the wetlands. The outcomes of these researches are shared with the States for an effective implementation of the management plan. The Research Advisory Committee approves and monitors the commission of such projects in the States and UTs.

National Environment Policy, (NEP) 2006

The policy framework was brought in to build on the existing environmental policies and mend the glitches in them by providing a comprehensive set of solutions. The policies were introduced to consolidate India’s response to positive environmental contribution.

The NEP suggests methods for the sustainable maintenance of the wetlands that includes:

1. Setting up of a legal mechanism for the identification and prevention of the wetlands.
2. Involve the participation of public agencies and multi-stakeholders to implement the new conservation schemes and projects.
3. Promotion of traditional techniques so that the heavy economic expenses involved in the huge infrastructure projects can be waived off.

Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017

The Central Government came up with legally enforceable rules with regards to the management of wetlands for the first time in 2010. These rules were further updated and superseded by the draft order of 2016 which was eventually notified by the Ministry in 2017. 

The Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules defines wetlands as “area of marsh, fen, peatland or water; whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters, but does not include river channels, paddy fields, human-made water bodies/tanks specifically constructed for drinking water purposes and structures specifically constructed for aquaculture, salt production, recreation and irrigation purposes”.  

They decentralised the process of wetland management by widening the ambit of powers entrusted to States. The powers were not just restricted to the identification of fragile wetlands sites but also included ensuring their “wise use” by monitoring the prohibited activities. The Centre was conferred with the authority to monitor the implementation of the rules by the States/ UTs, regulate the management of transboundary wetlands and ensure correspondence with the Ramsar agreement. 

The Strategy as proposed by the rules

• Setting up of a State Wetland Authority

The Rules mandate creation of an authority in the State regulating the management of the wetlands falling under its jurisdiction. The authority comprises government officials and experts associated with the fields of ecology, hydrology and biodiversity and is commanded by the Environment Minister of the State. The body ensures the compliance of the principle of “wise use” by recommending the strategies, investing in research projects and implementing the outcomes laid.

• Prohibition of detrimental activities

The State authority monitors anthropogenic activities including improper dumping of waste, expansions of firms and industries, effluents and emissions discharged into the water bodies  that pose a threat to the existence of the wetland sites. The activities are to be practiced keeping in mind the principle of “wise use” as propounded by the rules.

• Creation of Digital Inventory

The Rules call for the State authorities to prepare a list of wetland sites falling within its jurisdiction which are to be notified to the Central Government within a period of 6 months. The Centre, then creates a digital inventory of all such sites, based on the list submitted by the authorities.

• Setting up of a National Level Committee

The Rules further provide for the creation of a nationalised Wetlands Committee headed by the Secretary to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to monitor the functioning of the state authorities. The committee is entrusted with the authority to advise the Centre with the schemes, methods and ideas to promote wise use of wetlands and assist the Government in the designation of wetlands as of international importance as under the Ramsar Convention. 

Suggestions

The rise in the interaction of human affairs has undoubtedly resulted in some of the shocking statistics depicting the loss in the land areas of wetland areas. The policies and the rules incorporated by the Government should be effective enough to ensure the human activities are in a balance with the ecological cycle.

However, the rules of 2017 brought up by the Government seems to cast an adverse effect on the environment. The decentralisation of the power to States by absolving the National Wetland Authority created under the rules of 2010 and creating State based authority confers states with all the regulating powers. The onus is now shifted from the Centre to the States to monitor the human interference with the environment which could turn out to be detrimental in many aspects. There can be illegal usages of land by the industry owners and stakeholders since only the State and not the Centre would be monitoring these activities.

The new definition of the wetlands as provided under the Rules of 2017 fails to include all the man-made and artificial water bodies and tanks built specifically for the purposes catering human needs as the wetlands which were earlier covered in the Rules of 2010. States like Tamil Nadu, where the majority of the water consumption is based on artificial tanks and water bodies, the rules fail to protect the environment completely.

Section 4 of the 2017 Rules provides a list of prohibited activities that are detrimental to the environment. The proviso to the Section states that an activity can be excluded from the list on the recommendation of the state authorities. This shrinks the scope of protection of the areas making the rules ineffective to a greater extent. Thus, a strong framework of rules ensuring an effective compliance with the principle of “wise use” is needed to properly manage these wetland sites. 

Conclusion

With the evolution in technology, the society has adopted methods that have been a constant source of threat to the environment. The depletion of areas of Kolleru Lake in the south and Spiti Valley in the north are the statistics that have raised concerns and attracted the formulation of policies and methods countering them. 

The management of these areas become important to maintain the ecological and hydrological balance in the environment. The fact that wetlands contribute in regulating water cycles, maintaining the groundwater levels and thereby facilitating the processes like irrigation, makes the conservation of these resources even more prominent. 

As a result, policies and regulations have been brought into force by the Government from time to time to respond to these environmental changes. It was in 2010, a comprehensive legally enforceable set of rules was brought by the Centre for the management of wetlands. The rules prohibited and illegalised activities detrimental to the environment and contributed towards the management of these sites. The rules were replaced by the draft of 2016 wherein decentralisation of powers was made, conferring the States with the regulatory powers, that were earlier with the Centre.

Thus, the Government by the way of a newly formulated comprehensive set of policies and the Ramsar Convention aims to implement such projects and techniques that could help in the restoration of these sites. 

References

https://sandrp.in/2020/03/03/ramsar-wetlands-in-crisis-south-india/

https://sandrp.in/2020/02/29/ramsar-wetlands-in-crisis-north-india/

http://moef.gov.in/national-wetland-conservation-programme-nwcp/

http://moef.gov.in/national-wetland-conservation-programme-nwcp/

http://www.saconenvis.nic.in/publication/Guidelines%20_revised_NWCP.pdf

http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/nep2006e.pdf

http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/content/447822/wetlands-conservation-and-management-rules-2017/

http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/Wetlands%20(Conservation%20and%20Management)%20Rules,%202017.pdf

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