Assam govt plans to denotify Deepor Beel, Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuaries, faces flak

Guwahati: Assam's two wildlife sanctuaries, Deepor Beel and Pobitora, located near Guwahati, might lose their protected status. Sources say the Assam government decided to denotify the sanctuaries in a cabinet meeting on Sunday.

The decision, however, has not been officially announced. Assam's tourism minister, Jayanta Malla Baruah, addressed the media on Sunday about the cabinet meeting's decisions but made no mention of the sanctuaries' identification.

Likewise, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma shared details of the cabinet meeting on social media but excluded any mention of Deepor Beel and Pobitora's denotification.

This move by the government has been met with criticism from environmentalists and wildlife experts.

"The proposal for denotification of any sanctuary or national park requires the recommendation of the National Board for Wildlife as per the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, followed by approval from the Supreme Court," explained a wildlife activist.

Pramod Kalita, secretary of the Deepor Beel Suraksha Mancha, expressed his strong disapproval of the decision.

"I haven't seen the official decision, but if it's true, it's extremely unfortunate. This will lead to the wetland's destruction, impacting not just the surrounding communities, including fishermen, but also the people of Guwahati. The future generation will suffer greatly if Deepor Beel is not protected. We will fight this legally if the government goes through with this anti-conservation decision," Kalita said.

Kalita, who filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in Gauhati High Court regarding the uncontrolled dumping of waste and sewage into the lake, threatening its existence, emphasized that the government shouldn't take such a step while a court case is going on.

The High Court had directed the Assam government to issue a notification by January 18th, 2024, designating an eco-sensitive zone around Deepor Beel Wildlife Sanctuary.

Deepor Beel, a 900-hectare natural wetland and wildlife sanctuary, is situated near the Brahmaputra River.

"Assam's protected areas are already comparatively smaller than its geographical area. Furthermore, existing protected areas are shrinking due to encroachment. We cannot support downgrading the status of wildlife sanctuaries established in the past two to three decades. The area of Deepor Beel has already shrunk, and denotification is unacceptable," said wildlife activist Mubina Akhtar.

"Wildlife sanctuaries serve wildlife. Denotifying them for human benefit without considering wildlife's well-being is entirely unacceptable," Akhtar added.

"Declaring a national park or wildlife sanctuary involves a lengthy process. Denotification cannot happen abruptly. If such a decision is made, it would be unprecedented and set us back significantly in terms of conservation efforts," she added.