Encroachment at Karbatal Wetland | 16 Jul 2024

Why in News?

Recently, The Eastern Zone Circuit Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has set up a four member committee to look into allegations made in encroachment of Karbatal wetland at Begusarai district in Bihar.

Key Points

  • The allegations of encroachment and degradation of the Ramsar Site were made by an environmental activist who approached the NGT.
  • The site of Karbatal wetlands was designated as Bird Sanctuary by the Government of Bihar in 1989.
    • It was designated as a Ramsar site in 2020 and is recognized as Asia's largest freshwater oxbow lake.
  • The wetland, comprising a cluster of 16-17 waterbodies and serving as a catchment area for rainwater, has faced encroachment over time, leading to allegations that the area has been permitted to diminish.
    • According to the 2019 post-monsoon report, approximately 82% of the site was marshland (with 25% of it being cultivated), 16% was open water, and the remainder consisted of plantations or borrow land.
  • Environmental experts have raised concerns that encroachment and the drying of the lake have severely impacted birds by depriving them of their habitat.

Oxbow Lake

  • An oxbow lake is a curved lake formed alongside a winding river as a result of erosion and sediment deposition over time.
  • Oxbow lakes are typically crescent-shaped and are common features in floodplains and low-lying areas near rivers.

Ramsar Site

  • Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty adopted in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar, on the southern shore of the Caspian Sea.
  • It came into force for India on 1st February, 1982. Those wetlands which are of international importance are declared as Ramsar sites.
  • The Convention’s mission is “the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world”.
  • The Montreux Record is a register of wetland sites on the List of Wetlands of International Importance where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference.