Supreme Court Extends 10-Km Mining Buffer to Wetlands

The Supreme Court of India on 4 August 2026 directed a 10-kilometre mining buffer zone around all wetland conservation reserves in India. The order extended the buffer first applied to the Asan Wetland Conservation Reserve in Uttarakhand to similar protected areas across the country.

Wetland Conservation Reserves in India

Wetland conservation reserves are protected areas notified under Indian wildlife and environmental law. They are used for the protection of wetland ecosystems, which include marshes, lakes, floodplains, mangroves, and other water-dependent habitats. Wetlands are covered under the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, which provide a framework for identification, notification, and management of wetlands in India. Wetlands also fall within the scope of the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty adopted in 1971 for wetland conservation.

Mining Buffer Zones and Protected Areas

A buffer zone is a regulated area around a protected site where specific activities are restricted or prohibited. In environmental law, buffer zones are used around national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and ecologically sensitive areas to reduce disturbance from mining, construction, and industrial activity. The 10-kilometre buffer in this case was linked to mining restrictions near wetland conservation reserves. The Supreme Court stated that the same directions should apply across the Himalayan region unless an expert committee finds that a wetland reserve does not exist in a particular state.

Judicial Directions and Administrative Bodies

The clarification was issued while hearing an application filed by the State of Himachal Pradesh. The state had questioned whether the restrictions applied within its territory, and it argued that wetland reserves differ from national parks and sanctuaries in buffer-zone requirements. The Supreme Court directed the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife or the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to carry out factual verification of wetland reserve locations, especially in Himachal Pradesh. If wetland conservation reserves are identified in the state, the directions issued on 14 February 2024 on mining restrictions will apply.

Important Facts for Exams

• The Ramsar Convention was adopted in 1971 and deals with wetlands of international importance.
• The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 govern wetland protection in India.
• The National Board for Wildlife is a statutory body linked to wildlife conservation in India.
• Buffer zones are commonly used in environmental regulation around protected areas to control human activity.

Wetland conservation reserves are notified protected areas under Indian environmental and wildlife frameworks. The Supreme Court of India is the apex judicial body under the Constitution of India.