Mirik, April 22: An environment
group in Mirik has launched a campaign to demand the inclusion of the
tourist town’s wetland that has the famous Mirik lake in a central
government project for conservation of water sources.
To begin with, the
Bio-diversity Management Committee embarked on a 20-day signature
campaign, seeking support of both local people and visitors alike in
its effort to protect and preserve the wetland that has shrunk in size.
“The wetland is
nature’s gift to us. However, we are running the risk of losing it
because of increased human intervention. The total area of the wetland
has already been reduced to less than 100 hectares from its original
spread of 125 hectares because of pollution caused by effluents and
reclamation by landfill. Our appeal to all concerned is to immediately
put an end to the exploitation and encroachment of the wetland,” said
Gyalbo Lama, a member of the committee.
Lama said the best
way of ensuring the survival of the wetland was to include it in the
conservation and management programme that the Centre had launched in
2010. “Once our signature campaign gets over at the end of this month,
we will approach the GTA, state government and the Union government with
our demand,” he said.
Under the
programme, the Centre provides financial and technical assistance for
various conservation activities in the listed wastelands.
Twenty-five wetlands, including the East Calcutta wetland, have been brought under the programme.
Lama said
reclamation of land and dumping of solid waste in and around a wetland
were prohibited once a water body was brought under the central scheme.
“We have been
distributing leaflets in Nepali titled ‘Protection of Wetland’ that
highlights the things that are prohibited in a wetland area covered by
the national management programme. Reclamation of land and dumping of
solid waste are among things which are barred under the scheme,” he
said.
The Telegraph
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