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Wednesday, Feb 16, 2005

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National wetland conservation strategy mooted

By Our Staff Correspondent

NEW DELHI, FEB. 15. The Union Environment and Forests Minister, A.Raja, today called for a determined and proactive national wetland conservation strategy and action plan with adequate legal support.

Releasing two books, "Inland Wetlands of India — A Conservation Priorities'' and "Inland Wetlands — A Conservation Atlas'', brought out by Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and National History, here, Mr. Raja said the Government was committed to add many more wetlands sites, which were vastly rich in biodiversity as nationally and internationally important sites.

Quoting the study done by the Centre, Mr. Raja said that there had been a loss of about 38 per cent of wetlands across the country since 10 years. And, in some districts the loss had been up to 88 per cent. Almost all the wetlands from 14 States, where the study was conducted, appear to be polluted. In many cases, the fishes are not fit for human consumption because of high level of heavy metals or pesticides.

He said that not even one of the over 1,700 fishes studied from 170 wetlands was free from pesticides and metals. He further said that the wetlands appear to be one of the most preferred sites for landfills for dumping solid wastes.

Citing the example of one of the wetlands at Pallikaranai in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Raja said 3,500 tonnes of municipal waste was being dumped everyday in this wetland that also harboured the most precious germ plasm of a wild variety of rice. As much as 32 million litres of domestic affluent was also discharged here daily, he said.

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