Kerala is losing precious central funds for the development and preservation of the wetlands, due to the delay in setting up the state-level Wetland Authority as per the guidelines of the Union ministry of environment and forests.

Stating this here, a member of the Central Wetland Regulatory Board and National Wetland Committee, Dr E.J. James, said states like Odisha and Manipur, which had constituted wetland authorities, were getting good amounts by way of assistance from the central government.

Talking to DC on the sidelines of a seminar on “Wetlands and Sustainable Tourism” held by the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management, he said Odisha, for instance, had received nearly Rs 50 crore in this respect.

Kerala is yet to complete the identification of wetlands in the state, Dr. James said, even as the deadline for identification of wetlands ended in December 2011.

The central government had asked all states with wetlands to complete the process within a year of enactment of the Wetland Regulatory Framework, formulated by the ministry of environment and forests.

The work on identifying the wetlands in the state has commenced only now due to the delay in promulgating the notification on this by the state government.

The work on identifying the wetlands is expected to be completed in the next three to four months, said Dr P.S. Harilkumar, head, water quality division, Centre for Water Resources Development and Management.