Sundernagar: In the absence of any clear-cut policy thousands of water bodies in the hill state are either highly polluted or losing its character.

The lack of awareness on the subject is further proving fatal, as it has been observed that at village-level water bodies are being destroyed, as residents consider them as unproductive and fill it with debris.

Rise in pollution levels, dying natural habitats and threat of poaching have led to a decrease in the number of migratory birds at the Harike wetland. Spread over 100 square kilometres, the wetland attracts lakhs of birds from Central Asia and trans-Russian region every year.

It is a bird sanctuary and the State

May 27: Environmentalists are up in arms over the encroachment of wetlands. They maintain that wetlands serve to neutralise the toxins discharged through industrial effluents and domestic sewage, before letting the water
percolate down into the earth to replenish aquifers.

A total of 13 fish sanctuaries have been established at the Hakaluki Haor to protect threatened fish and fish resources in the country.

Due to the uncontrolled human activities along the sandy beaches of St Martin's Island, the yearly arrival of turtles on the island for laying eggs has reduced significantly.

L-R: Typical forest full of natural resources (Tangabati, Chittagong). Tribal people collect natural water without any contamination just at the base of hills; w(Mirersharai, Chittagong).