M. P. State Wetland Authority

Madhya Pradesh Environment Policy recognizes the significance of ecosystem services provided by wetlands and emphasizes the need for their conservation. It calls for setting up a mechanism for all wetlands to maintain their ecological character, and ultimately ensure integrated management, promote traditional practices for conservation of wetlands, lake and ponds.

The Environmental Planning and Coordination Organization (EPCO), working under Environment Department, Government of Madhya Pradesh is an advisory body to the State Government for environment related matters. EPCO is the state nodal agency for conservation of wetlands and lakes. State Government of Madhya Pradesh is committed to protection and conservation of lakes & wetlands in the state.

Bhoj Wetland of Bhopal is one of the Ramsar Site of India. In view of its ecological characteristics, Ramsar convention has recognized the Upper & Lower lakes of Bhopal as wetland of international importance and designated them as Ramsar site in 2002. With support of MoEF&CC, a large-scale integrated conservation and management plan of the Bhoj-wetland was developed by State Govt. and implementation of the same started in 1995 which was completed in 2005 through financial assistance of Japan Bank for International Corporation (JICA).

Subsequently Lake Conservation Authority of MP was constituted in 2004 to facilitate conservation and management of Bhoj Wetland and also all other wetlands/lakes of the state in an environmentally sustainable manner. This helped to generate awareness among the people to conserve these precious water resources. In view of the enforcements of Wetland Rules 2010, the Authority was merged with its parent organization EPCO in 2012.

 In compliances of Wetlands (Conservation & Management) Rules 2010, GoMP vide order dated 9.9.2014, declared EPCO as the State Wetland Authority under Environment Department. The Government of Madhya Pradesh has taken many concrete initiatives to conserve, restore and rehabilitate the water bodies of the state through various programs. An attempt was made by Environmental Planning & Coordination Organization (EPCO), Environment Department, GoMP to prepare district-wise atlas of all district headquarters of the state in phase-I. Similarly, in phase-II, EPCO has prepared district-wise Lake Atlas covering with all the urban wetland and lakes from urban local bodies (ULBs) of 31 districts of M.P.

The atlas covers a brief town profile, salient features of each lake, details of biodiversity richness, water quality assessment, and environmental problems associated with the lake, suggest mitigation measures for their restoration etc. The Lake Atlas is quite helpful to district/ local administration to identify the associated problems of the lake and mitigative measure to be taken for its conservation and restoration. This atlas also helps to list the urban lakes/ponds/reservoir of the State. After the listing of the lakes a comprehensive conservation and management plan of the lake can be prepared for their restoration and environmental management.

EPCO has also in-house facility for water quality testing. The State Environmental Research Laboratory monitors the water quality of some of the important lakes of the state and status report is shared with the district officials so that the government can take immediate action for conservation.

Exercise of the powers conferred by section 25, read with sub-section (1) and clause (v) of sub-section (2) and sub-section (3) of section 3 and section 23 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and in supersession of the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2010, except as respects things done or omitted to be done before such supersession, the Central Government, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Government of India as per the notification No. G.S.R 1203 (E) dated 26.09.2017 has issued the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules 2017 for the integrated management of wetlands.

As per the section 5(1) of the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules 2017, the Government of Madhya Pradesh has constituted the Madhya Pradesh State Wetland Authority (MPSWA) vide order 22-23/3225/2017/18-5 dated 02.01.2018 headed by Hon’ble Minister Department of Environment GoMP; with Chief Secretary of Government of Madhya Pradesh as its vice-chairman. Secretaries of the stakeholders’ departments are the ex-officio members of the authority. Environment Department is working as nodal Department and EPCO is entrusted with responsibility of working as its secretariat. Executive Director EPCO is the Member Secretary of the Authority.

It is a statutory authority meant to function as State’s nodal agency to implement the task of policy development, regulatory frame works, integrated management, planning, implementation of action plans, capacity building, research, networking, communication, awareness, creation and raising of funds for wetland management as per the wetlands rules 2017