Puducherry is on a mission to beautify and conserve its natural resources. With this mission in mind, the Union Territory will soon declare 5 of its waterbodies as wetlands under the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules of 2017. Once this happens, encroachment and permanent constructions will not be permitted to protect the waterbodies.
Puducherry Declares These 5 Waterbodies As Wetlands
According to The Hindu, Puducherry will give wetlands status to five water bodies namely —Oussudu Lake, Katterikuppam tank, Korkadu tank, Vadhanur tank and Bahour Lake. Managed by both Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, Oussudu Lake is spread across 800 acres. It’s a bird sanctuary that is actually an artificial lake built by the French to source drinking water. The second-largest lake in Puducherry is Bahour lake.
Vanjulavalli Sridhar, Conservator of Forests stated to The Hindu that once these waterbodies are termed wetlands then no encroachments and constructions will be permitted. But locals can continue carrying forward traditional fishing activities and even use the water for their daily activities. Strict Wetlands Rules will be enforced as well as strategies for its judicious use and conservation.
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It’s All About Conserving The Environment
Apart from the said waterbodies, the Puducherry UT Wetlands Authority will also declare a few more waterbodies as wetlands. This will happen as part of the second phase. Vanjulavalli Sridhar further adds to The Hindu that currently documents and health cards are in preparation to declare other waterbodies as wetlands. These health cards will help authorities identify immediate threats to the waterbodies. This will help them come up with better conservation strategies.
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Also, the wetlands will be assessed on parameters like annual bird count, oxygen demand, encroachment and others. Despite many activities being prohibited in the wetlands, it’s not really a restrictive step. In fact, it’s an approach taken to conserve the water bodies. Wetlands are known for their unique plants and soil surface covered with water for varying periods of time or throughout the year.
Folks, how do you think Puducherry declaring its 5 waterbodies as wetlands impact the environment?
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