Maharashtra completes documentation of over 23,000 wetlands

Key points

• Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) has completed the documentation and Ground-truthing of Maharashtra’s 23,415 wetlands, paving the way to formally notify and bring the water bodies under legal protection under the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules.
• According to the Maharashtra wetlands dashboard maintained by the NCSCM data, Chattrapati Sambhaji Nagar and Nagpur division has the highest wetlands in Maharashtra, with 5,196 and 5,086 wetlands respectively.
• The Ahmednagar district has the highest number of wetlands in the State at 1,596, followed by Nashik with 1,236 and Chandrapur which has 1,231. The wetlands documented also includes 247 in Thane, 1,093 in Raigad, 37 in Mumbai city and 210 in Mumbai suburban districts.
• Maharashtra government tasked NCSCM, functioning under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to do satellite mapping, documentation and field verification of wetlands identified under the Wetlands Inventory and Assessment launched by the Centre nearly two...