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27 May 2026 6 views

Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017

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theIAShub
27 May, 2026
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Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017
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Regulatory framework governing wetland protection in India, currently under constitutional scrutiny for excluding artificial wetlands.

Why in News

The Supreme Court of India has agreed to examine the constitutional validity of the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, following a petition alleging arbitrary exclusion of human-made wetlands from environmental protection.

Key Facts

  • Rule 2(g) of the 2017 Rules allegedly violates India's obligations under the Ramsar Convention (1971), which mandates protection of both natural and artificial wetlands.
  • 39 out of India's 94 designated Ramsar wetlands risk losing legal protection due to strict exclusions for waterbodies used for drinking water, irrigation, aquaculture, salt production, and recreation.
  • The 2017 Rules decentralized wetland identification powers to State Wetland Authorities (SWAs), unlike the 2010 framework which retained the Central Wetlands Regulatory Authority (CWRA).
  • The petition cites K. Balakrishnan v. Union of India (2017) case, where the Supreme Court ordered statutory protection of all wetlands mapped in the National Wetland Atlas.
  • The 2017 framework focuses on wetland origin (natural vs. artificial) rather than functional characteristics like hydrology, soil saturation, and biodiversity support.
  • ISRO's National Wetland Inventory and Assessment uses functional mapping standards contradicted by the 2017 Rules' definitional approach.
  • The rules allegedly violate the principle of non-regression by weakening protections established under the 2010 Rules.

Quick Revision Box

Term

Detail

Ramsar Convention

1971 international treaty for wetland conservation; mandates protection of natural and artificial wetlands

Rule 2(g)

Definitional provision in 2017 Rules excluding artificial wetlands from protection

Central Wetlands Regulatory Authority (CWRA)

Body under 2010 Rules; replaced by decentralized State Wetland Authorities in 2017

Ramsar Sites in India

94 designated wetlands; 39 at risk under current definitional framework

Non-Regression Principle

Legal doctrine preventing weakening of existing environmental protections

National Wetland Atlas

ISRO mapping project identifying wetlands based on functional characteristics



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