Marking the World Wetlands Day (WWD) 2026, this overview presents top ten interventions by judiciary to protect the wetlands in India during 2025 so far. Apart from this, there have been several wetlands protection related court cases going on across the country during the year and reports of some of the relevant matters can be seen here. The judiciary has also been pursuing cases pertaining to conservation of several Ramsar wetlands in the country as covered in the first part of the overview here.
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Maharashtra Irrigation Act 1976 exists for 49 years without Rules!
Guest Article by: Pradeep Purandare
A PIL (152 / 2014) has been filed by this author before the Aurangabad bench of Mumbai High Court way back in 2014. Maharashtra Irrigation Act, 1976 (MIA 1976) is not being implemented in letter & spirit, thanks to the absence of Rules of MIA 1976. It is needless to add that Act/Law states the general principles and Rules give the necessary details required for the actual implementation of the Act. For example, Act only says that Water Use Rights may be given to all farmers in the command area as prescribed. Rules of the Act, however, give the details to answer the usual questions like How? How much? When? Where? To whom? Application / Agreement required? Applicable terms & conditions? etc. Rules reduce the scope for discretion and chances to interpret the Act in different manner by different individuals at different times & places. Rules facilitate smooth & uniform implementation of the Act.
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Groundwater 2024: Top Ten Judicial Decisions
(Feature Image: A water conservation message painted on a wall in Dehradun. BS Rawat/SANDRP, May 2024)
This fifth part of annual groundwater overview covers top ten judicial interventions regarding groundwater in India in 2024. The first part of the overview compiles important groundwater studies published in 2024. The second part and third part have compiled the reports revealing rising contamination and depletion of groundwater resources in India. The fourth part has focused the top ten relevant decisions taken by various governments regarding management and conservation of the finite natural resource in the country.
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World Wetlands Day 2025: More Judicial Decisions, Less Actions by Govts
(Part of a marsh land already covered by residential buildings in Asan river basin in Dehradun being filled up further in May 2024. BS Rawat/SANDRP)
In third part of annual overview, we compile top ten judicial decisions taken during 2024 by various courts regarding protection and conservation wetlands in India. The first part of the overview has covered the looming threats on Ramsar sites and the second part has highlighted the deteriorating condition wetlands in the country.
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Secret of Goa River Network’s success: Fight Collectively, Consistently to stop the menace of illegal sand mining
(Feature Image: Illegal sand extraction in Mandovi river in late evening hours at Amona village on Dec. 12, 2022. Image Credit: GRSPN)
The Goa River Sand Protector Network (GRSPN) has been doing exemplary work in checking adverse impacts of unsustainable and illegal sand mining in Goa rivers. This interview with Adv. Viraj Bakre, one of its key members, highlights the impact of the network’s work, struggle, successes and suggestions for river activists fighting against riverbed mining menace in the country.
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WWD 2024: Citizens Efforts to Protect Wetlands & Mangroves in Mumbai
(Feature Image: Navi Mumbai Environmentalists Rally Against CIDCO’s Neglect Of Protected Chanakya Lake. Source: FPJ, Jan. 2024)
The citizen groups in Mumbai including Vanshakti, Save Navi Mumbai Environment Group, NatConnect, Environment Life Foundation and others have for years been making significant efforts to save the remaining wetlands and mangroves in and around Mumbai from ill-conceived developmental projects and abuses. During 2023 they continued their mission through peaceful protests, filing RTIs, writing letters to all concerned and even approaching courts to protect every single piece of wetlands and mangroves in and around the city. They have got some successes and even faced many dead-end situations but carried on the cause of wetlands and mangroves. This report compiles top ten mangroves and wetlands development from Mumbai region along with highlighting the persistent efforts of the citizen groups.
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WWD 2024: Top Ten Judicial Actions for Wetlands in India
(Feature Image: A file picture of garbage dumping extending to an additional patch of land at the Pallikaranai marshland. Source: ToI)
The fourth part of the wetlands overview 2023 covers the top ten judicial interventions for the protection of wetlands including Ramsar sites in India. The report shows that the judiciary is increasingly petitioned with legal disputes as the governmental bodies dealing with urban authorities and particularly the regulators have been failing to check unabated pollution and encroachments of the wetlands in their jurisdiction. The legal cases pertaining to encroachments and degradation of Ramsar sites and other wetlands in Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Ladakh, Bhoj lake in Bhopal, Tampara lake in Odisha and Sundarbans in West Bengal clearly indicate the fate of lesser known but equally important water bodies in the country. Overall, the judiciary seems to be finding it tough to stir executioners and unwilling governments and is not equally effective everywhere. However, it has made some landmark orders.
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DRP NB 131123: Another Himalayan Disaster: 40 workers trapped in a tunnel in Uttarakhand
(Ongoing rescue work inside Badkot-Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi. Image Source: HT)
In yet another disaster in the Himalayas, at least 40 workers are trapped in an under-construction tunnel being constructed by National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (NHIDCL), among others. The Hindustan Times has wrongly named the construction company as Hydroelectricity Investment & Development Company Limited (HIDCL) possibly of Nepal govt. Some people at the location have informed us that it may take another day before the workers are rescued.
NHIDCL was not even sure of the total of number of workers, as they gave the number as 36, which was corrected by the district administration later on to 40. It is also strange to see the work going on even on a Diwali day. Another disturbing aspect is that all the workers are reportedly mostly from outside Uttarakhand, when Uttarakhand villagers are known to migrate in large numbers to outside the state for employment. This disaster thus raises a lot of questions, which will need answers once the workers are rescued safely. The workers are still trapped over 30 hours after the disaster. The work at the 4.5 km long tunnel is being built under Char Dham Road Widening project since over 4 years, and violations have been happening in the work since then, as we reported in 2019.
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Sikkim HC Order on Public Safety at Hydropower projects
Sikkim High Court Order on Dec 5, 2022 in the matter of death of two persons on May 23 2020 due to drowning following sudden release of water from a private hydropower project flags very important lessons that are relevant for all hydropower projects in India.[i]
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WWD 2023: Top Ten Judicial Interventions to Improve Wetlands Governance
(Feature Image: Construction activities in Sukhatal lake area in Nainital, Uttarakhand. Source: Dainik Jagran, Nov. 2022)
In this third part of wetlands overview, SANDRP tracks top ten judicial interventions regarding protection of wetlands in India in 2022. The part one has highlighted general situation of wetlands and part two has covered some governmental actions for wetlands conservation.
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SANDRP 