Kerala - Kochi   

Wetlands notified as protected areas

KOCHI: The wetlands of Ashtamudi, Vembanad-Kol and Sasthamkotta Lake have been notified as protected wetlands by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests where a series of restrictions have been imposed. These are the wetlands categorised as Ramsar wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

Besides the Ramsar wetlands, the Ministry has notified important wetlands of the country into five other categories in the Wetlands (conservation and management) rules, 2010 that was notified on Thursday. The notification has introduced different levels of restrictions in the activities.

Permission

As per the rules, the permission of the State government will be required for the withdrawal of water or the impoundment, diversion or interruption of water sources within the local catchment area of a wetland ecosystem. The harvesting of living and non-living resources, plying of motorised boats, construction of boat jetties and dredging also need the permission of the State government.

The Ministry has also constituted as Central Wetlands Regulatory Authority to be headed by its secretary. It will also have the representatives of Ministries of Tourism, Water Resources, Agriculture and Social Justice as members. Asad R. Rahmani, director of the Bombay Natural History Society, and E.J. James, former director of the Centre for Water Resources and Management, Kozhikode, are among the expert members of the committee.

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