ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS EXPERT IDENTIFIES AREAS OF

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CALCUTTA 000574

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV ECON IN
SUBJECT: ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS EXPERT IDENTIFIES AREAS OF
COOPERATION FOR CALCUTTA'S WETLANDS MANAGEMENT



1. (SBU) Summary: Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) Ecologist and
Regulatory Program Manager Wade L. Eakle visited Calcutta
November 1-7, 2006. Eakle met senior Government of West Bengal
(GOWB) officials representing the different agencies involved in
wetlands management and administration to explore the
possibility of cooperation between ACE and the Environment
Department of the GOWB in drawing up a comprehensive Management
Action Plan for the East Calcutta Wetlands. One GOWB official
expressed interest in signing a memorandum of agreement with the
USG in this regard. Eakle also visited wetland areas and
interacted with stakeholders, activist groups and journalists.
Based on his meetings and observations, Mr. Eakle has drawn up a
report, outlining the areas of cooperation in formulating the
plan and subsequent action. A cooperation agreement between the
ACE and an appropriate Indian government agency could be a
possible result of Eakle's visit. End Summary.

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What Eakle saw in Calcutta
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2. (U) The 12,500-hectare East Calcutta Wetlands (ECW),located
5-km from the eastern edge of Calcutta (also known as Kolkata)
in West Bengal, were accorded international recognition as a
protected area under the Ramsar (Iran) Convention in August

2002. The ECW serve a critical function by receiving the
untreated municipal wastewater from the city, where it has been
used in traditional practices of fish farming and agriculture by
thousands of local farmers since the early 1900's. In March
2006, the Government of West Bengal passed the East Kolkata
Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Act, establishing the
multi-agency East Kolkata Wetlands Management Authority (EKWMA)
with specific functions and powers related to the maintenance
and preservation of land in the ECW, as well as a regulatory
authority for evaluating proposed land use changes and
compensatory mitigation projects in the ECW. The Act, among
other things, directed the EKWMA to prepare action plans in
conformance with the Ramsar Convention, to update land use maps,
and to demarcate the boundary of the ECW. In October 2006, the
West Bengal Department of Environment issued rules and
regulations establishing the procedural requirements for
authorizing land use changes and compensatory mitigation in the
ECW.

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Suggested Next Steps
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3. (SBU) Based on Eakle's assessment, there are a number of
areas in which the USG could work to further GOWB wetlands
management efforts. These include:

a) GIS System: There is scope for consolidating all existing
geo-spatial land use and other relevant data into a centralized
Geographic Information System (GIS) readily accessible to EKWMA
agencies, NGO's and interested stakeholders. The GIS operated
by the Indian Chamber of Commerce should be investigated for
this use. [Note: The Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) hosts a
GIS-based database on industrial hazards and its mitigation for
the city of Haldia which is home to a major port and number of
chemical and petrochemical industries. End Note.]

b) Remote Imagery: Eakle suggested use of recent remote
imagery (true color aerial photos or satellite) at an
appropriate scale to identify, characterize and delineate
wetlands and other aquatic resources within the
Ramsar-designated ECW boundary. These could be verified using
sample mapping units using a stratified random approach, and
could incorporated into the final wetlands/waters map in the GIS
with other data layers. These technical capabilities already
exist with the agencies currently associated with ECW management
and administration.

c) Complete a functional assessment of the ECW using
hydro-geomorphic (HGM) classification, reference wetlands and
functional indices.

d) Hold a multi-day workshop with all EKWMA agencies,
NGO's and stakeholders to present the results of the
planning-level wetland identification and functional assessment.
Define goals and objectives for aquatic resources preservation,
restoration and management in the ECW for action plan direction.

CALCUTTA 00000574 002 OF 002



e) Develop a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the
appropriate Government of India (GOI) agency, such as the
Ministry of Environment (on behalf of the West Bengal Department
of Environment) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to promote
future collaboration, cooperation, and technical assistance, if
requested, in the further development and implementation of a
management action plan and associated tasks of mutual interest
for the ECW. GOWB Environment Secretary M.L. Meena expressed
his interest in signing such an agreement with ACE. If future
services are desired, additional resources would likely be
necessary. Potential sources include the U.S. Agency for
International Development, international organizations (i.e.,
United Nations, World Bank),or GOI. Unfortunately, the Corps
of Engineers is precluded from entering into MOAs with
state-level governments in other countries.

f) Develop ECW-specific, hydro-geomorphic-based,
GIS-evaluation tools for use by the EKWMA to assess
environmental impacts associated with proposed land use changes
(wetland/water body fills) and proposed compensatory mitigation
projects within the ECW.


4. (SBU) Comment: Significant scientific work has been
completed in the ECW and would form a good foundation for any
wetlands management plan. Despite this wealth of knowledge and
local scientific capacity, there should be more collaboration
and communication between the various government departments and
NGO's interested in the ECW, especially with regard to the
collection, mapping, storage, and analysis of geo-spatial data.
If the GOWB, through the Government of India, decides to engage
with the ACE in preparing the plan, an agreement might be an
appropriate next step to explore. END COMMENT.
JARDINE