Centre Tells Maharashtra to notify 23,000 wetlands on 'priority'

Navi Mumbai: Acting swiftly on environmentalists’ concerns over the long delay in granting legal protection to more than 23,000 wetlands in Maharashtra, the  Centre has asked the State government to address the issue on a “priority basis” and submit an action taken report.

Ahead of World Water Day on March 22, environment watchdog NatConnect Foundation drew the Prime Minister’s attention to what it called an often-overlooked pillar of water justice — the urgent need to protect and conserve India’s wetlands that sustain ecosystems, livelihoods and long-term water security.

In a representation posted on the PMO Public Grievance portal, NatConnect flagged the bureaucratic delay in officially notifying Maharashtra’s wetlands despite their identification and documentation by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

Responding to the complaint, the MoEFCC asked the Maharashtra State Wetland Authority to examine the concerns and act on them on a priority basis, while submitting an action taken report with copies to both the complainant and the Union government.

The ministry also appreciated NatConnect director B N Kumar’s concerns and suggestions on wetland conservation.

The representation stressed that wetlands act as natural systems that recharge groundwater, regulate floods, improve water quality and sustain biodiversity, yet many continue to remain outside the legal protection framework despite their critical role in water security and livelihoods.

Sagar Shakti director Nandakumar Pawar welcomed the Centre’s prompt response and hoped the state would cut bureaucratic delays and hasten the notification of wetlands so that these vital ecosystems receive legal protection.

The ministry pointed out that wetland conservation is governed by the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, framed under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, which place clear responsibility on state governments to identify, regulate and protect wetlands.

Under the rules, states must map and demarcate wetlands and their zones of influence, document their ecological features and existing rights, regulate permissible activities and enforce safeguards to prevent degradation. Once recommended for protection, a wetland must be formally notified in the Official Gazette within 240 days, after considering objections from stakeholders.

NatConnect noted that wetlands were mapped nearly two decades ago and the Wetlands Rules were framed nine years ago, yet many of the state’s ecologically important water bodies still await legal protection.