E-Paper
Goa to have 50 notified wetlands in two years: Wetland Authority tells NGT
Petitioner Shetye expressed reservations over the reduced number of wetlands being identified pointing out that as per a prior statement before the NGT, 385 wetlands have been delineated that have an area of more than five hectares
The Goa State Wetland Authority (GSWA) has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that it is in the process of notifying 35 additional wetlands in the state, which will take the total number of notified wetlands in Goa to 50. The process is expected to take two years, it said.
The GSWA, which submitted its quarterly progress report, as required by the NGT, after petitioner Kashinath Shetye approached the tribunal accusing the government of dragging its feet on notifying wetlands, said that the process of survey, identification and then notifying the wetlands was on.
In its report the wetland authority mentioned, “National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) carries out the work of survey, preparation of brief documents, Integrated Management Plan and related maps of the water bodies and also ascertains the existence of structures therein. The brief documents are submitted to the Technical Committee of GSWA, which reviews those documents, and management plans and advises on the technical matters referred by the GSWA.”
“After such verification, the technical committee identifies the water bodies as wetlands and sends a proposal to GSWA for approval. After the waterbody is identified as a wetland, it is presented before the answering authority for deliberation and approval,” the authority said, explaining the reason for the slow process.
Petitioner Shetye, however, expressed reservations over the reduced number of wetlands being identified pointing out that as per a prior statement before the NGT, 385 wetlands have been delineated that have an area of more than five hectares, and 167 wetlands which are less than 2.25 hectares, thus totalling to 550 wetlands in Goa covering an area of 213.77 sq. km.
Shetye has sought that the wetland authority conduct survey to identify the wetlands and declare all lakes/tollem (ponds) /reservoirs/ tollexet (agricultural marshes) including marsh, fen, peat-land or water, natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salty, including areas of marine water, the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres and including all inland waters such as lakes, reservoir, tanks, backwaters, lagoons, creeks, estuaries and man-made wetlands and the zone of direct influence on wetlands that is to say the drainage area or catchment region of the wetlands as a ‘Wetland sites’ under Wetland Rules under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
The authority should also order the removal of encroachments by demolishing illegal construction/development activities around the wetland areas, Shetye petitioned.
