MOEFCC asks States, UT's to prioritise wetland demarcation
All States and UT's told to prioritise wetland demarcation, says MOEFCC affidavit
The National Wetlands Committee (NWC) has asked all states and Union territories (UTs) to give the highest priority to completing the demarcation of wetlands, following a Supreme Court order. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) shared this information with the Supreme Court in an affidavit filed on Monday.
Supreme Court order and Government action
The affidavit refers to a December 24 office memorandum from MoEFCC, which had instructed chief secretaries and administrators of all states to submit time-bound action plans by December 31. The ministry also mentioned that in compliance with a Supreme Court directive in the Anand Arya Vs Union of India case, states were asked to provide progress reports every two weeks.
The Supreme Court had earlier directed all state and UT wetland authorities to complete ground truthing and demarcation of wetlands listed in the Space Application Centre Atlas (SAC Atlas) 2021 within three months from December 11, 2024. The affidavit emphasized that all states and UTs must ensure strict compliance with this deadline.
Decisions taken in NWC meeting
A meeting of the National Wetlands Committee on December 27 resulted in several key decisions:
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Strict Compliance: States and UTs must give top priority to wetland demarcation and follow the Supreme Court's directions meticulously.
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Regular Monitoring: Administrative secretaries and heads of departments must be kept informed of the progress, ensuring frequent updates.
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Submission of Reports: The government has requested states to update their progress in a designated Google sheet and upload data on the Save Wetlands Campaign Portal.
The affidavit also stated that MoEFCC would provide a day-to-day update document to help states track their progress. Additionally, the ministry, along with the Space Application Centre, the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), and other experts, will assist states in completing the task.
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A report from the environment ministry has highlighted a major gap in wetland protection. Although India has over 200,000 wetlands, only 102 have been officially notified so far. Surprisingly, most of these are concentrated in just three states and one Union territory:
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Rajasthan has notified 75 wetlands.
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Goa has notified 25 wetlands.
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Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh have each notified only one wetland.
This data, obtained through an RTI request, was made available on the Wetlands of India Portal.
Efforts to speed up the process
To speed up the process, the environment ministry has been sending reminders to wetland authorities and chief secretaries, urging them to complete the pending work. The ministry has also assured full support to states through coordination exercises conducted daily.
According to the latest figures on the Save Wetlands Campaign Portal, out of 231,195 wetlands identified in the SAC Atlas 2021:
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Ground truthing has been completed for 158,475 wetlands.
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Boundary demarcation has been done for 74,644 wetlands.
Some states have made significant progress:
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Chandigarh has completed 100% of its ground truthing.
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Madhya Pradesh is at 97%, followed by Chhattisgarh, Punjab, and Tripura at 96%.
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In terms of boundary demarcation, Chandigarh has marked all wetlands, followed by Tripura (96%), Maharashtra (90%), Chhattisgarh (88%), and Bihar (86%).
The Supreme Court’s directive has made wetland demarcation an urgent task for all states and UTs. With the MoEFCC ensuring continuous monitoring and assistance, states are now expected to accelerate their efforts to meet the deadline. Completing this process will be a major step in preserving India’s wetlands, which play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance.
