Why Protecting Wetland In Maharashtra Is Important

Hearing a plea on June 28 in which the Maharashtra government asked for a relaxation in the court's directives on banning construction on wetland, judges of a Bombay High Court Bench got furious. “You want to destroy the wetlands and permit its destruction. Have you adhered to rules notified by the Central government,” the Bench asked public prosecutor G W Mattos. “You have not complied with court's order and are seeking modification of orders on top of that. The state has the audacity to refer to draft rules (referring to the Central government's draft rules on wet land formulated in 2016) ,” the judges further added.

The scolding seem to have worked, as the state government withdrew its plea earlier this week.

Following an HC order, the state in 2013 had directed civic authorities not to allow reclamation or construction on areas categorised as wetland by the Centre. It was told by the court to prepare a report on how the state planned to protect its wetland and a delay in this regard has left the judges fuming.

Now, the question arises what are wetlands and why preserving them is important?

According to the Centre's National Wetland Inventory and Assessment (NWIA) project, wetlands are "areas of land that are either temporarily or permanently covered by water and exhibit enormous diversity according to their genesis, geographical location, water regime and chemistry".  Utility wise, according to NWIA, wetlands “directly and indirectly support millions of people in providing services such as storm and flood control, clean water supply, food, fiber and raw materials, scenic beauty, educational and recreational benefits”.

It is estimated that wetlands cover "seven per cent of the earth's surface and deliver 45 per cent of the world's natural productivity and ecosystem services".

"However, the very existence of these unique resources is under threat due to developmental activities, and population pressure," says the report that was prepared in 2010. The number must have come down in all these years for sure.According to the report, the total wetland area in Maharashtra is estimated 1,014,522 hectare, which is around 3.3 per cent of the geographic area of the state. Wetlands are spread across all the 35 districts of the state, and of this Pune, Nasik, Thane, Ahmednagar, Chandrapur, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Raigadh are wetland rich.

Rising construction activities in these cities, especially Pune, Nashik and Thane, has done a great damage to wetlands, which are increasingly being used to build more houses or commercial and industrial establish to support urban expansion. If the wetlands of this coastal state all dries up, Maharashtra will among other things lose its unique character and may stand as an urban jungle in the years to come.

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