Margao: The state government has issued a draft notification declaring several water bodies across the state as wetlands under the provisions of the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017.
The draft notification will be taken into consideration on or after the expiry of a period of sixty days. Citizens interested in making any objections or suggestions on the proposals contained in the draft notification have been asked to write to the member secretary, the Goa State Biodiversity Board, head of nodal agency, Goa State Wetland Authority, within the 60-day period. Citizens can also email their suggestions to ms-gswa.goa@gov.in.
The Goa State Wetland Authority and the Union environment ministry will monitor the enforcement of the provisions of the notification issued by the state department of environment and climate change.
“All the pre-existing ownership rights and privileges pertaining to identified and notified wetlands will be maintained. Further, no pre-existing ownership rights or property will be transferred to the Goa State Wetland Authority as a part of this notification. The status quo of the existing ownership of the notified property will be maintained, as decided in the 13th meeting of the authority,” the draft notification states.
No construction activity of a permanent nature will be allowed in the draft notified wetland till the final decision in this regard is taken by the authority, the draft notification further states.
The water bodies to be notified as wetlands in North Goa include Parra lake in Bardez (2,000sqm); Maem lake (1,02,348sqm), Kodal lake (7,530sqm) and Kolamwada lake (10,550sqm) all in Bicholim; Sulabhat lake (54,843sqm), Carambolim lake (5,63,524sqm), and Batim lake (1,67,869sqm) in Tiswadi.
In South Goa, the wetlands identified are Karmale lake or Arla Keri tollem (36,235sqm), Talaulim lake or Talsal tollem (5,225sqm), Coneix (Conem) lake (8,950sqm) and Betal lake (4,400sqm) in Ponda; Dhakte lake or Diuler tollem (4,690sqm), Vodle lake (4,420sqm), Manali lake (535sqm) and Ita lake (3,425sqm) in Benaulim; Macasana lake (6,609sqm), Orlim lake (63,898sqm), Sapu lake or tollem bandar (2,07,789sqm), and Adsule lake (3,240sqm) in Salcete; Bandolem lake (8,452sqm) in Sancoale; Pali lake (44,664sqm) in Davorlim-Dicarpale; Durga lake (2,31,921sqm) in Chinchinim; Dhulpe lake or Chicungal tollem (13,153sqm) and Tarvalem lake or Pagar tollem (46,700sqm) in Shiroda.
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