The Supreme Court on Tuesday cautioned the Centre against “hoodwinking” it on the number of wetlands and lakes in the country and set a week deadline for it to come out with a “holistic” report on the issue. The reaction came after the Ministry of Environment and Forests informed the court that the country has only 115 wetlands and 63 lakes across 24 States and two Union Territories.
Shocked by the massive under-reporting on the number of wetlands and lakes, a Bench of Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud told the Centre, “We know for sure that in the city of Bengaluru alone there are over hundred lakes. Is this the way you (Centre) function despite knowing that it’s a national cause and we are monitoring you for the past 16 yearsIJ”
Giving a final opportunity to the Centre to give a clear picture on the number of wetlands and lakes in the country, the SC directed the Union Environment Ministry to file a fresh reply before next Tuesday.
A look at the Centre’s affidavit filed before the court suggests that the identification of 115 wetlands was the labour of 30 years. The identification and conservation of wetlands and lakes were part of the National Wetland Conservation Programme (NWCP) launched in 1986. Under this scheme, Centre provided funds to States and Union Territories to conserve and manage identified lakes and wetlands.
In 2001, another such programme aimed at preserving lakes was launched under the name National lake Conservation Plan (NlCP). By February 2013, both the programmes were merged under one integrated scheme called National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA).
“So far, the Ministry (MoEF) has identified 115 wetlands and 63 lakes in 24 States and two Union Territories for conservation and management under the NPCA/NWCP. Since 1987-88, an amount of Rs 780 crore has been released for undertaking various conservation activities in these wetlands and lakes,” the affidavit said.
CJI Khehar, who knows Bengaluru having been the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court at one point, told senior advocate AK Panda, who appeared for the Centre, “When one city like Bengaluru has over a 100 lakes, it shocks us the way you (Centre) function.”
It was 16 years ago in 2001, a lawyer MK Balakrishnan, filed a PIl seeking conservation of wetlands. The petition sought urgent intervention of the Court as rapid urbanization was causing destruction and depletion of wetlands. Unless a wetland is identified by the Centre or State Government as per the Wetlands (Conservation and Protection) Rules 2010, prepared under the Environment Protection Act, construction work over a wetland or lake is not prohibited. Advocate Gopal Shankaranaraynan who appeared for the petitioner said that in past six years, not a single wetland has been identified.
The court asked the petitioner to study the matter and even suggest whether justice could be done to the cause by sending it to the National Green Tribunal for effective monitoring.