Mapping of J&K Wetlands to Be Completed by March-End: Forest Minister Javad Ahmad Rana
Jammu, Mar 4: The Jammu and Kashmir government is in the final stages of mapping and demarcating wetlands across the region, with the exercise expected to be completed by the end of March, Forest Minister Javad Ahmad Rana informed on Tuesday.
Responding to a starred question by PDP MLA Waheed ur Rehman Para in the Assembly, Rana said the Forest Department is carrying out the mapping using remote sensing technology, alongside ground verification. The process is being conducted in coordination with the Revenue and Wildlife Departments, in line with Supreme Court guidelines for wetlands larger than 2.2 hectares.
“In compliance with the Wetlands (Conservation and Management Rules), 2017, brief documents for six wetlands have been prepared by the respective district working groups,” Rana said. He added that four of these—Ahansur-Waskursar Wetland Complex, Sanasar Lake, Khushalsar and Gilsar Lake Complex, and Anchar and Rakh-i-Kujar Complex—are nearing final approval, while two others, Manasbal Lake and Narkara, are under review by the technical committee.
To strengthen conservation efforts, district wetland management units, headed by the respective Deputy Commissioners, were constituted on December 19 to oversee the protection and preservation of wetlands.
Meanwhile, replying to a separate query on the environmental impact assessment (EIA) of proposed roads for the Amarnath Yatra from Baltal and Pahalgam, the minister stated that the tracks leading to the holy cave were developed in compliance with the Supreme Court’s December 13, 2012, directive.
(Agencies)
