MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE NOTIFICATION New Delhi, the 26th September, 2017 G.S.R. 1203(E).-- Whereas the wetlands, vital parts of the hydrological cycle, are highly productive ecosystems which support rich biodiversity and provide a wide range of ecosystem services such as water storage, water purification, flood mitigation, erosion control, aquifer recharge, microclimate regulation, aesthetic enhancement of landscapes while simultaneously supporting many significant recreational, social and cultural activities, being part of our rich cultural heritage; And whereas many wetlands are threatened by reclamation and degradation through drainage and landfill, pollution (discharge of domestic and industrial effluents, disposal of solid wastes), hydrological alteration (water withdrawal and changes in inflow and outflow), over-exploitation of their natural resources resulting in loss of biodiversity and disruption in ecosystem services provided by wetlands; And wherea

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S.1 Short title and commencement.--

(1) These rules may be called the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017.

(2) These shall come into force from the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.

S.2 Definitions.--

(1) In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires,--

(a) "Act" means the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986;

(b) "Authority" means the State Wetlands Authority or Union Territory Wetlands Authority, as the case may be;

(c) "Committee" means the National Wetlands Committee referred to in rule 6;

(d) "ecological character" means the sum of ecosystem components, processes and services that characterise the wetlands;

(e) "integrated management plan" means a document which describes strategies and actions for achieving wise use of the wetland and the plan shall include objectives of site management; management actions required to achieve the objectives; factors that affect, or may affect, the various site features; monitoring requirements for detecting changes in ecological character and for measuring the effectiveness of management; and resources for management implementation;

(f) "Ramsar Convention" means the Convention on Wetlands sign

S.3 Applicability of rules.--

These rules shall apply to the following wetlands or wetlands complexes, namely:--

(a) wetlands categorised as 'wetlands of international importance' under the Ramsar Convention;

(b) wetlands as notified by the Central Government, State Government and Union Territory Administration:

Provided that these rules shall not apply to the wetlands falling in areas covered under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, the State Forest Acts, and the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2011 as amended from time to time.

S.4 Restrictions of activities in wetlands.--

(1) The wetlands shall be conserved and managed in accordance with the principle of 'wise use' as determined by the Wetlands Authority.

(2) The following activities shall be prohibited within the wetlands, namely,--

(i) conversion for non-wetland uses including encroachment of any kind;

(ii) setting up of any industry and expansion of existing industries;

(iii) manufacture or handling or storage or disposal of construction and demolition waste covered under the Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016; hazardous substances covered under the Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules, 1989 or the Rules for Manufacture, Use, Import, Export and Storage of Hazardous Micro-organisms Genetically engineered organisms or cells, 1989 or the Hazardous Wastes (Management, Handling and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2008; electronic waste covered under the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016;

(iv) solid waste dumping;

(v) d

S.5 Wetlands Authorities.--

(1) The Central Government hereby constitutes the State Wetlands Authority in each State with the following members, namely:--

(i) Minister In-charge of the Department of Environment/Forests of the State Government or Minister In-charge of the Department handling wetlands - Chairperson;

(ii) Chief Secretary of the State or Additional Chief Secretary equivalent - Vice Chairperson;

(iii) Secretary in-charge of the Department of Environment - Member ex-officio;

(iv) Secretary in-charge of the Department of Forests - Member ex-officio;

(v) Secretary in-charge of the Department of Urban Development - Member ex-officio;

(vi) Secretary in-charge of the Department of Rural Development - Member ex-officio;

(vii) Secretary in-charge of the Department of Water Resources - Member ex-officio;

(viii) Secretary in-charge of the Department of Fisheries - Member ex-officio;

(ix) Secretary in-charge of the Department of Irrigation and Flo

S.6 Constitution of National Wetlands Committee.--

(1) The Central Government, hereby constitutes the National Wetlands Committee with the following members, namely:--

(i) Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India - Chairperson;

(ii) Special Secretary or Additional Secretary dealing with wetlands, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India-Vice Chairperson;

(iii) Additional Director General, Wildlife, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India - Member ex-officio;

(iv) Adviser or Joint Secretary dealing with wetlands, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change - Member ex-officio;

(v) Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India- Member ex-officio;

(vi) Joint Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India- Member ex-officio;

(vii) Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India-

S.7 Delegation of powers and functions to the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations.--

(1) The concerned Department of the State Government or Union Territory Administration shall, within a period of one year from the date of publication of these rules, prepare a Brief Document for each of the wetland identified for notification, providing:--

(a) demarcation of wetland boundary supported by accurate digital maps with coordinates and validated by ground truthing;

(b) demarcation of its zone of influence and land use and land cover thereof indicated in a digital map;

(c) ecological character description;

(d) account of pre-existing rights and privileges;

(e) list of site-specific activities to be permitted within the wetland and its zone of influence;

(f) list of site specific activities to be regulated within the wetland and its zone of influence; and

(g) modalities for enforcement of regulation;

(2) Based on the Brief Document, the Authority shall make recommendations to the State Government or Union Territory Ad