NEW DELHI: In a move that would further dilute environmental laws, the Environment Ministry has come up with new draft of wetland conservation rules, which has been shorn off the list of prohibited activities and completely shifted the entire burden of wetland protection from the Centre to the respective states.
The Draft Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules 2016 restricts activities like reclamation of wetlands, and conversion for non-wetland uses, any diversion or impediment to natural water inflows and outflows of the wetland and any activity having or likely to have an adverse impact on ecological character of the wetland.
However, there was a detailed list of prohibited activities in the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules 2010, like setting up of industries and expansion of existing ones, solid waste dumping, manufacturing or handling or storage or disposal of hazardous substances, discharge of untreated waste, among others.