Lok Sabha Question No. 860 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-07-23
Subject: National Wetland Conservation Programme
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Ganesh Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.860

TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.07.2021

## National Wetland Conservation Programme

## 860. SHRI GANESH SINGH:

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

- (a) the salient features of the National Wetland Conservation Programme;
- (b) the details of the wetlands identified during the last three years and the current year in the country including Satna district of Madhya Pradesh, district-wise;
- (c) whether  the  Tamas  Barrage  Dam,  Govindgarh  Lake,  Mukundpur  Lake,  Vishnu  Sagar lake,  Dharam  Sagar  lake,  Semraval  river,  Tamas  river,  Mandakini  river  have  been included under the National Wetland Conservation Programme; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) The salient features of National Programme for Conservation of Wetlands of Ministry of Environment,  Forest  &  Climate  Change  (MoEF&CC)  includes  implementation  of  the following:
-  National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems (NPCA) scheme for conservation and  management  of  wetlands  in  the  country  on  cost  sharing  basis  between  Central Government and respective State Governments i.e. 100% Central Share for Union Territories (UTs),  90%  (Centre)  &10%  (North  East&  Himalayan  States)and  60%  (Centre)  &40% (remaining States). The scheme covers various activities such as interception, diversion and treatment  of  wastewater,  shoreline  protection,  lake  front  development,  in-situ  cleaning  i.e. desilting &deweeding, storm water management, bioremediation, catchment area treatment, Lake  Beautification,  survey  &  demarcation,  bio-fencing,  fisheries  development,  weed control, biodiversity conservation, education and awareness creation, community participation, etc.
-  As  a  signatory  to  the Ramsar  Convention  on  Wetlands since  01.02.1982,  India  has designated  42  Wetlands  of  International  Importance  (Ramsar  Sites).  India  stands  first  in South Asia and third in Asia w.r.t the number of Ramsar Sites.
-  Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 - Vide these Rules, inter-alia, the State/UT  Wetlands  Authorities  have  been  constituted.  The  National  Wetlands  Committee inter-alia  is  responsible  for  advising  on  appropriate  policies  and  action  programmes  for conservation  and  wise  use  of  wetlands.  Guidelines  have  been  issued  to  support  the  State Governments/Union Territory (UT) Administrations in the implementation of the Rules.
-  Four pronged Wetlands Rejuvenation Programme by a) Developing baseline information; b) Rapid  assessment  of wetlands  condition  (Wetland  Health  Cards);  c)  Constitution of 'Wetlands Mitras' -stakeholder platforms to enable collaborative and participatory management;  and  d)  Management  planning,  addressing  the  specific  wetlands  biodiversity and ecosystem services values and threats.
-  Capacity  Building  and  Outreach  programme -  National  and  Regional  workshops  for Wetlands  Managers  &  Stakeholders  are  organised  on  conservation  and  management  of wetlands, preparation of Brief Documents etc. World Wetlands Day is celebrated at National level on 2 nd February of each year in collaboration with the concerned State Governments to raise awareness among all sections of the society about values and functions of wetlands and utilization of their resources.

(b)  As  per  the  National  Wetland  Inventory  &Assessment,  2011,  about  two  lakh  wetlands  are above  2.25  hectares  with  a  total  wetland  area  of  about  14.70  million  hectares.  These  include lakes/ponds, ox-bow lakes, high altitude & riverine wetlands, waterlogged areas, rivers/streams, tanks,  reservoirs,  lagoons,  creeks,  sand  beaches,  corals,  mangroves,  mud  flats,  salt  pans, aquaculture  ponds,  etc.  The  district-wise  wetland  maps  and  statistics  of  each  State/UT  are available  under  Chapter  7  of  respective  Atlases  of  each  State/UT,  which  are  available  on MoEF&CC  website  at http://moef.gov.in/en/division/environment-divisions/wetland/nationalwetlands-inventory-assessment/.Subsequent inventorization exercise has not been undertaken by the  Ministry  after  2011.  As  per  the  National  Wetland  Inventory  &  Assessment,  2011,  1,287 wetlands ( > 2.25 hectare)with a total wetland area of 28,862 hectareshave been identified in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh.

(c)&  (d)The  lakes  and  rivers  as  mentioned  in  the  question  have  not  been  funded  under  the National Wetland Conservation Programme till date.

*****