Lok Sabha Question No. 4203 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-27
Subject: National Wetland Conservation Programme
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Sanjay(Kaka) Ramchandra Patil, Kuruva Gorantla Madhav

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4203

TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.03.2023

## National Wetland Conservation Programme

## 4203. SHRI SANJAY KAKA PATIL: SHRI KURUVA GORANTLA MADHAV:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  about  the  National  Wetlands  Conservation  Programme  and  funds  allocated under the programme during the last three years;
- (b) whether the Government has created any data registry of the number of wetlands in the country;
- (c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (d) the details of the measures taken by the Government to identify and notify wetlands for preservation;
- (e) whether the Government  has  taken any steps to bring awareness among  local communities and to enforce certain regulations for human activities; and
- (f) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a)    Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  &  Climate  Change  (MoEF&CC)  provided  financial assistance to the States/Union Territories under the National Wetlands Conservation Programme  (NWCP)  and  National  Lake  Conservation  Plan  (NLCP)  for  conservation  and management of identified wetlands and lakes respectively in the country till the year 2012-13. In order to have better synergy and to avoid overlap, both the schemes of NWCP & NLCP have been merged into a centrally sponsored scheme namely 'National Plan for Conservation of  Aquatic  Eco-systems'  (NPCA)  in  February,  2013.  Accordingly,  MoEF&CC  is  currently implementing NPCA scheme for conservation and management of wetlands (includes lakes) in  the  country  on  cost  sharing  basis  between  Central  Government  and  respective  State Governments. The State/UT-wise detail of funds allocated as central share during last 3 years is given as Annexure-1.

(b)  &(c)    As  per  the  "National  Wetland  Decadal  Change  Atlas,  2017  published  by  Space Applications Centre- ISRO Ahmedabad, a total of 2,31,195 wetlands (at 1:50000 scales and area >= 2.25 ha) have been mapped in the Country.  The total wetland area estimated is 15.98 million hectare (mha) including rivers and excluding paddy field areas that is around 4.86% of  the  geographic  area  of  the  country.    The  State/UT-wise  wetland  distribution  is  at Annexure-2.

(d) MoEF&CC has notified Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 as regulatory framework for conservation  and  management  of  wetlands  across  the  country  to  conserve,  manage  and maintain the ecological character of the wetlands without restricting the wise use. Vide these Rules,  inter-alia,  the  State/UT  Wetland  Authorities  have  been  constituted  and  powers  for identification and notification of wetlands have been delegated to the State Governments and UT Administrations.

(e) & (f) MoEF&CC, by organizing regional workshops and number of programmes on the occasion of World Wetlands Day each year, creates awareness among the wetland managers, state governments  officials, local  communities  regarding  the  importance  of  wetlands conservation and policy and regulatory framework available for conservation of wetlands.

******

## Annexure-1

Annexure-1 referred to in reply to part (a) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Q. No. 4203 to  be  answered  on  Thursday,  the  27 th March,  2023  on  'National  Wetland Conservation Programme'

## (Amount in Rs Crores)

| S. No.   | State             | 2019-20   | 2020-21   | 2021-22   |
|----------|-------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| 1        | Arunachal Pradesh | 1.21      | -         | -         |
| 2        | Bihar             | 0.79      | -         | -         |
| 3        | Gujarat           | 1.52      | -         | 3.00      |
| 4        | Haryana           | 0.49      | -         | -         |
| 5        | H.P.              | 0.12      | -         | -         |
| 6        | Jammu& Kashmir    | 1.68      | -         | -         |
| 7        | Karnataka         | -         | -         | -         |
| 8        | Kerala            | -         | -         | -         |
| 9        | Madhya Pradesh    | 8.41      | 7.00      | 5.4097    |
| 10.      | Manipur           | -         | 7.92      | 18.00211  |
| 11.      | Mizoram           | 1.92      | 2.78      | 4.16877   |
| 12.      | Maharashtra       | 3.90      | 8.10      | 3.00      |
| 13.      | Nagaland          | 5.62      | 0.50      | -         |
| 14.      | Odisha            | 4.10      | 5.38      | 1.65      |
| 15.      | Puducherry        | 0.50      | -         | -         |
| 16.      | Punjab            | -         | -         | -         |
| 17.      | Rajasthan         | -         | -         | -         |
| 18.      | Sikkim            | 2.60      | -         | 0.40408   |
| 19.      | Tamil Nadu        | 1.37      | -         | -         |
| 19.      | Tripura           | 3.13      | -         | -         |
| 20.      | Uttar Pradesh     | 2.93      | 0.95      | 0.36534   |
| 21       | West Bengal       | 4.29      | -         | -         |
|          | Total             | 44.58     | 32.63     | 36.00     |

## Annexure-2

Annexure-2 referred to in reply to part (b) &(c) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Q. No. 4203 to be  answered  on  Thursday,  the  27 th March,  2023  on  'National  Wetland  Conservation Programme'

## State-wise wetland distribution in India

| Decadal wetland inventory in different States   | Decadal wetland inventory in different States   | Decadal wetland inventory in different States   | Decadal wetland inventory in different States   | Decadal wetland inventory in different States   |
|-------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
| S. No.                                          | State Name                                      | Number                                          | 2017-18 Area (ha)                               | Area (% of wetland)                             |
| 1                                               | Andhra Pradesh                                  | 24104                                           | 1141606                                         | 7.14                                            |
| 2                                               | Arunachal Pradesh                               | 1182                                            | 151104                                          | 0.95                                            |
| 3                                               | Assam                                           | 5902                                            | 849078                                          | 5.31                                            |
| 4                                               | Bihar                                           | 4526                                            | 374766                                          | 2.34                                            |
| 5                                               | Chhattisgarh                                    | 11457                                           | 342443                                          | 2.14                                            |
| 6                                               | Goa                                             | 742                                             | 24749                                           | 0.15                                            |
| 7                                               | Gujarat                                         | 17613                                           | 3499429                                         | 21.9                                            |
| 8                                               | Haryana                                         | 1905                                            | 33649                                           | 0.21                                            |
| 9                                               | Himachal Pradesh                                | 215                                             | 94011                                           | 0.59                                            |
| 10                                              | Jharkhand                                       | 2635                                            | 187045                                          | 1.17                                            |
| 11                                              | Karnataka                                       | 14936                                           | 787127                                          | 4.93                                            |
| 12                                              | Kerala                                          | 1399                                            | 158336                                          | 0.99                                            |
| 13                                              | Madhya Pradesh                                  | 13947                                           | 861736                                          | 5.39                                            |
| 14                                              | Maharashtra                                     | 25935                                           | 1152625                                         | 7.21                                            |
| 15                                              | Manipur                                         | 132                                             | 67408                                           | 0.42                                            |
| 16                                              | Meghalaya                                       | 225                                             | 31002                                           | 0.19                                            |
| 17                                              | Mizoram                                         | 127                                             | 19476                                           | 0.12                                            |
| 18                                              | Nagaland                                        | 148                                             | 21118                                           | 0.13                                            |
| 19                                              | Odisha                                          | 13331                                           | 719942                                          | 4.5                                             |
| 20                                              | Punjab                                          | 1190                                            | 47024                                           | 0.29                                            |
| 21                                              | Rajasthan                                       | 13321                                           | 778824                                          | 4.87                                            |
| 22                                              | Sikkim                                          | 259                                             | 7049                                            | 0.04                                            |
| 23                                              | Tamil Nadu                                      | 26883                                           | 925712                                          | 5.79                                            |
| 24                                              | Telangana                                       | 12338                                           | 566680                                          | 3.55                                            |
| 25                                              | Tripura                                         | 416                                             | 18438                                           | 0.12                                            |
| 26                                              | Uttar Pradesh                                   | 18555                                           | 1104562                                         | 6.91                                            |
| 27                                              | Uttarakhand                                     | 172                                             | 112882                                          | 0.71                                            |
| 28                                              | West Bengal                                     | 12955                                           | 1130127                                         | 7.07                                            |

| 29   | Andaman&Nicobar   |   2774 |   143238 |    0.9 |
|------|-------------------|--------|----------|--------|
| 30   | Chandigarh        |     11 |      336 |   0    |
| 31   | Dadra NagarHaveli |     12 |     2063 |   0.01 |
| 32   | Daman and Diu     |     59 |     2728 |   0.02 |
| 33   | Delhi             |    123 |     2773 |   0.02 |
| 34   | Jammu &Kashmir    |    404 |   164110 |   1.03 |
| 35   | Lakshadweep       |     50 |    79716 |   0.5  |
| 36   | Ladakh            |   1073 |   373049 |   2.33 |
| 37   | Puducherry        |    139 |     5555 |   0.03 |
|      | Total             | 231195 | 15981516 | 100    |