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Chapter 2Policy, Legislation and Regulationwill also be utilised for the maintenance of the five central nurseries, and production ofseedlings.2.3.3.5. Housing SchemesReconstruction of One Lakh Housing Scheme (MN LAKSHAM VEEDU PUNARNIRMANAPADHATHI): One lakh housing scheme was launched in 1972. The present condition of mostof the houses so constructed is very pathetic mainly because of three decades of ageingwithout routine repairs and maintenance. The estimated cost of renovation of one houseamounts to Rs1 lakh. The pattern of financing of one house is: Government subsidy Rs 50 000/-(for ST category), Rs 37500/- (for SC category), Rs 25000/- (for General category). The balanceamount shall be met by the Local Bodies/voluntary organizations/ philanthropic individuals.Suraksha Housing Scheme: Under this scheme, assistance will be given to houseless personsowning at least 2 cents of land to construct a house by themselves. The voluntaryorganizations/NGOs shall give assistance to the beneficiary to build the structure up to rooflevel and the government subsidy shall be disbursed on completion of the roof. The financialpattern of the scheme is as follows: Share of beneficiary Rs 25000/-; Share of voluntaryorganization Rs 50000/-; Government subsidy Rs 25000/-2.3.3.6. Wetland Eco-restoration ProgrammesWetland conservation has been a programme in the list of central plan schemes since morethan two decades now. With increasing environmental awareness and realization about therole of wetlands in regulation of ground water regimes, flood regulation and environmentalamelioration due to inherent vibrant biotic activities apart from livelihood issues, their statusas the important environmental natural resources in the scheme of development planning isneeded to be recognised. It is now time that wetlands are considered among the importantinfrastructures for development as rivers, forests, roads, education and health institutions.For a better understanding of the issues critical for any sustainable use strategy for wetlands,a few basic facts need to be appreciated. The following paragraph from the preamble of theNational Environment Policy 2006 (NEP) depicts the spirit of conservation of environmentalresources.“The dominant theme of this policy is that while conservation of environmental resources isnecessary to secure livelihoods and well - being of all, the most secure basis for conservation isto ensure that people dependent on particular resources obtain better livelihoods from thefact of conservation, than from degradation of the resources.”The statement indicates that conservation efforts are to be a part and parcel of its sustainableuse practice, necessitating reciprocal commitment of the users for conservation. The policyalso recognises that wetlands are natural alternatives for waste management due to theirinherent capacity of self assimilation and cleaning with the help of biological activities within.However, it can be done only to the extent till the pollution load is within their assimilativecapacity.
Environmental Assessment ReportKerala Local Government Strengthening ProjectThe conservation efforts therefore have to take into account sustainable use which implies,understanding the capacity and restricting the pressures within that. The role of the localgovernments in wetland management basically rests on this premise. The ongoing programmeson wetland include:Centrally sponsored schemes on management of wetlands based on the management actionplans submitted to MoEF by KSCSTE (Sasthankota, Astamudi, Kottuli)State plan programme on ecorestoration of Sasthamkotta wetland- Sanitation programmein the catchments through Suchitwa MissionA management action plan for Vellayani wetlands through the KSCSTEMoEF is considering bringing in a statute for regulating the management of wetlands in thecountry under the Environment (Protection) Act 1986, which will envisage categorization ofwetlands based on a few criteria, mostly related to location and conservation values; acentralized mechanism for management planning for their conservation and regulation ofactivities according to ecological importance. The authorized agencies will be created atnational, state and district levels. However, for implementation of the management actionplans and integration of these into general development planning, the role of LSGs will becritical.Water management and land management are the constitutional mandates of the local selfgovernments. Kerala Panchayat Raj Act 1994 specifically provides for environment,sewerage/sanitation and the local water resource management functions with the local selfgovernments. The eleventh schedule under article 243 G of the Constitution provides forentrusting the mandate of maintenance of community assets with these institutions.Customary village common lands and properties also are vested for management andadministration with the Panchayats.Wetlands are the local water resources, intricately connected with not only the life processes,but also several potentially important enterprise functions at the local level. These mayinclude coconut fibre processing, fishing aquaculture and other water based cottage industries,tourism and related activities and overall hydrological regimes which influence the primaryproduction such as the agricultural regimes. Conservation of wetlands enhances the groundwater recharge measures that facilitate supply of potable water for the nearby populations ifmanaged sustainably. In such circumstances, the most critical role of local governments wouldinclude creating an enabling environment for any effort which contributes to the sustainabilityof these resources, and regulating any activity which impinges on the wetland environment.Thus the local governance and development planning in the area of influence for the wetlandenvironment should take into account need of sustaining efforts to keep these ecosystems inbest of natural state.All the global conservation conventions and national policies favour local participation inassessment, planning and management of common property resources. LSGs will have acritical role in according due recognition to the community level organizations by integratingtheir activities in the grass root level plans and providing funds accordingly. The programmes78
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