Wetland Authority formed, State tells High Court

The State government on Monday informed the Madras High Court of having set up a ‘Wetland Authority’ under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to aid and advise the government as well as to formulate policies for the protection and preservation of wet lands across the State.

In a status report filed before the first Division Bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice A. Selvam, the government also said that the Wet Land Authority was in the process of preparation of a brief document on 37 prioritised wet lands and that it would take considerable time.

Stating that the process involved collection and collation of data on a wide range of parameters of the wet lands, the report added that the government had also formed a Conservation Authority of Pallikaranai Marshland Complex in Chennai.

However, at present, Point Calimere Wildlife and Birds Sanctuary was the only water body covered under the 1971 Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance. Specific steps were being taken to preserve the wet land as ordered by the Supreme Court on April 3, 2017, the government said.

Listing out the steps taken so far, it said that works such as raising mangrove plantations, digging creeks, desilting animal water holes and forming bunds had been carried out at a cost of ₹85.46 lakh between 2003-04 and 2013-14 to improve habitats of water birds.

Further, a board walk was constructed in Muthupet Range for an amount of ₹7.7 lakh and two water towers and one observatory tower were constructed at a cost of ₹23.67 lakh. A barrier to prevent cattle entry was also put in place by spending ₹ 72.28 lakh and eco-development activities had been carried out at an outlay of ₹80.26 lakh.

The court was also told that steps were under way to bring Panchanadikulam Wet land measuring 8,097 hectares and the unsurveyed Salt Swamp measuring 15.120 hectares located between Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary and Muthupet Mangroves within the ambit of the Ramsar Convention of 1971.

The submissions were made in reply to a public interest litigation petition. After recording them, the judges directed the High Court Registry to list the case on July 2 for submission of a further status report on the action taken with respect to other water bodies including the Panchanadikulam Wet Land.