Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Sept 19: Notwithstanding the fact that wetlands play an important role in preventing ecological catastrophe, majority of the marshlands are not receiving any attention in Jammu and Kashmir resulting into their continuous shrinking and making the State more prone to the disasters like the recent one which caused massive devastation. The height of the insensitivity towards this vital aspect can be gauged from the fact that no particular Government department has so far been assigned the task of conservation and preservation of these wetlands.
Reliable sources told EXCELSIOR there are about 1200 wetlands across Jammu and Kashmir and each one of them assumes much importance from ecological point of view because these marshlands act as a sponge that retains excess water thereby not only help in flood control but also in recharging the ground water. In this way, these wetlands can ensure better food security by way of increased water availability.
But the importance of these wetlands is not being understood in the State which is evident from the fact that none of the Government departments has so far been assigned the task of their conservation and preservation. As such, these marshlands are fast shrinking because of varied reasons including encroachments, which are continuing unabated in the absence of anybody to look after them.
Of these 1200 wetlands, about one dozen are being looked after by the Department of Wildlife because these fall in the forest areas while as few are taken care of by Lakes and Waterways Development Authority. All others actually fall in the domain of the Revenue Department because these don’t fall in the forest areas and have not been transferred either to the Wildlife Department and Department of Environment or Lakes and Waterways Development Authority.
“It is astonishing that neither the Wildlife Department and Department of Environment nor the Revenue Department are aware of the exact area of these wetlands which was required to be demarcated by the Revenue Department and is an important exercise before handing over these wetlands to any particular department”, sources regretted.
What to talk of those wetlands for which preservation and conservation authority is yet to be decided, even those marshlands, which were declared as wetland reserves by way of a notification way back in 80s, exact area has yet not been defined by way of settlement exercise by the Revenue Department.
Quoting an instance, sources said that even the demarcation of famous Gharana Wetland has yet not been completed and boundaries have been defined in vague manner by simply mentioning the names of the villages on North, East, South and West of the wetland. Similar, is the situation in majority of the wetlands.
As control over these wetlands has yet not been decided, encroachments are continuously taking place around these marshlands thereby resulting into their shrinking and giving an invitation to the ecological disasters, sources said. The assigning of task of conservation of wetlands to one particular department was also felt by the Committee on Environment of Legislative Assembly headed by MLA Mohd Yousaf Tarigami but thereafter this vital aspect remained confined to the discussions only with no final decision, they added.
It is pertinent to mention here that Bombay Natural History Society’s Director and eminent naturalist, Dr Asad Rahmani has recently stated that loss of wetlands, which act as a buffer for floods, aggravated the situation during recent flash floods in Jammu and Kashmir.
He has stated that disastrous damage caused to the life and property could have been minimized if the large number of wetlands that once existed in the Kashmir valley, had been preserved. Considering the importance of wetlands in Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Rahmani has recommended the passing of a Wetland Conservation Act on the lines of the Forest Conservation Act.
When contacted, Chief Wildlife Warden, A K Singh confirmed that no particular department has so far been assigned the task of conservation of large number of wetlands in the State despite the fact that these marshlands assume much importance. “Unless this is decided these wetlands cannot be saved, which otherwise are very important from ecological point of view”, he added.
He also confirmed that boundaries of the wetlands have not been clearly defined till date.
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