The Peninsula Foundation

Tag: Chennai

  • “This is not my Home”: The Unregulated Breeding and Trade of Pets and Exotic Birds

    “This is not my Home”: The Unregulated Breeding and Trade of Pets and Exotic Birds

    A recent RTI application filed by The Hindu, enquiring into the details of registration applications for breeding African Grey Parrots, has brought alarming revelations to the limelight. Out of 19 States and Union territories, only Kerala has a record of 17 applications for a breeder’s license for African Grey Parrots. All other states had “no access to data”. The African Grey Parrot is listed in the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) Appendix 1 (that is, prohibited for commercial trade). Its IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) status is “Endangered”. Registration and licensing are required to breed or own an African Grey Parrot. We can easily find African Grey Parrots in pet shops and aviaries, yet much of the registration data remains missing.

    India, especially Chennai Airport, has recorded the highest seizure of trade in wild and exotic animals. A TRAFFIC study reveals that nearly 70,000 wild animals and their parts were traded from 2011 to 2020. According to the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, Tigers, Pangolins, Parakeets, Munia, owls, Quails, mynas, Jungle fowls, and partridges are common in local trade. Among species seized at airports, birds were the most common. Considering the negligible information on registrations and licensing for exotic bird trade, this cannot be viewed as a coincidence.

    Why are exotic species trade and breeding regulated?

    There are four main reasons for these regulations. Firstly, these animals have difficulty adapting to new habitats. Secondly, their population in their home regions are either endangered or vulnerable, and the export of these species only worsens the situation. Thirdly, these species are “invasive” in India. If they are knowingly or unknowingly released into the wild or environment, they may be a threat to the Indigenous species population. Fourthly and most importantly, they are bio-hazardous, since they are carriers of Zoonotic diseases– a fact which cannot be forgotten after the COVID 19 pandemic.

    The Policy for Regulation of Import, Breeding and Sale of Exotic Species:

    The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, had regulations on the breeding and sale of species, listed in Schedules I to IV of the Act. These Schedules were not comprehensive and did not include most of the species listed in Appendix 1 of CITES. In June 2020, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Wildlife Division) published an “Advisory for Dealing with Import of Exotic Live Species in India and Declaration of Stock”. This advisory included a provision for a Voluntary Disclosure Scheme, a move designed to encourage breeders and pet owners to come forward and register the exotic species they were rearing. As an incentive, those who declared their exotic species within six months of receipt of the advisory were not required to produce any documentation. Despite these efforts, only  32,645 individuals from 25 states and five Union Territories declared their possession of exotic species. Reports state that animals like Kangarooswere grown as pets as well.

    In 2022, a significant change was made at the legislation level. The Wildlife Protection Act was amended and came into effect on 1st April 2023. The main objective of this amendment was to rationalise the Act in order to implement the provisions of CITES.

    In 2023, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change notified the Breeders of Species License Rules, 2023under Section 49 N. As per Section 49 N of the Act, a person engaged in breeding in captivity or artificially propagating any scheduled specimen listed in Appendix I of Schedule IV is required to make an application for a license within a period of ninety days of the commencement of the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022. The Breeders of Species License Rules, 2023, mandated that all animals listed in Appendices 1 and 4 may be bred only with a valid license. It also laid down the procedure for license application. As per this rule, July 21, 2023, was set as the deadline to submit a license application to the Chief Wild Life Warden. This application was verified and endorsed by a designated authority. The district forest officials and Wildlife wardens are expected to conduct inspections and submit reports within 30 days of receiving the forms.

    The current rules governing exotic species are even simpler. In 2024, under Section 49 M of the Wildlife Protection Act, the Ministry notified the Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024, to facilitate a digital mode of application for licenses. Now, breeders and anyone in possession of exotic species can apply for registration in the PARIVESH 2.0 portal. This had to be done by 28th August 2024, or within 30 days from the date of receipt of such exotic species. The application fee for registration in this portal is Rs. 1,000. If such species were acquired before the enactment of the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022, a declaration had to be submitted. The latest rule mandates the registration of births, transfers, and deaths of these exotic species. Anyone failing to comply with the documents or rules shall have their registration cancelled.

    Apart from the above rules that specifically deal with exotic species, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Pet shop) Rules, 2018 also address registration of pet shops, detailed rules on breeding and maintaining all kinds of pets, provisions regarding inspections by animal welfare boards, etc. This rule requires pet shops to maintain registers and submit annual reports to the State Animal Welfare boards. It also states that the import of birds and animals must be carried out with proper registration and approvals.

    Therefore, the current rules in place for general pet stores and the conditions for the breeding and sale of pets are addressed by the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Pet shop) Rules, 2018, and the State Animal Welfare Board. However, with respect to exotic birds and animals, the Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024 specify the proper channels for registration, breeding, and imports, and state that the State Forest Departments are responsible for maintaining databases of these species. Breeding exotic species requires registration with the PARIVESH 2.0 portal and special permits, such as a No Objection Certificate from the Chief Wildlife Warden and a CITES Breeding license, as prerequisites to apply for import and breeding.

    The Ground Realities 

    Despite these stringent rules, one can often find exotic birds in pet shops, often in caged conditions. A gruelling scene to the eyes is the Pet Market at Chennai Broadway. Many pet traders sell exotic species in an open black market for rates ranging from ₹20,000 to 50,000 for tamed and trained birds and as low as ₹1500-4000 for young chicks. One can find advertisements for these sellers on popular social media platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. They would claim that they have “all papers”, but they usually only hold a DNA test paper that shows the determination of the sex of the bird through these tests. This market is completely unregulated, even with police around. Policemen state that they cannot take action unless they receive a complaint from the State Forest Department or the Animal Welfare Board. The primary issue is the lack of regular inspections of these markets by the State Forest Departments. The 2024 rules state that every registered breeder must be present for inspection of facilities as and when required. In 2024, the Tamil Nadu State Forest Department invited public suggestions on Draft Guidelines on Exotic Species Declaration, the current status of which is unknown.

    A significant loophole in the Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024, is that it does not specify remedies or penalties for voluntary or involuntary release of exotic birds into the environment. It does not specify any penalty for unregistered breeding. Additionally, breeders and pet owners lack adequate infrastructure to breed these exotic birds. They are commonly grown as pets in their households.

    Way Forward:

    It is practically impossible for State Forest Departments to conduct door-to-door inspections for possession of exotic species; however, open black markets need to be curbed. NGOs and animal and wildlife activists must come forward to educate the public on the breeding of exotic species. More voluntary disclosures must be encouraged by activist groups and NGOs. There must be policy-level clarity on unregistered breeding and a remedy for releases into the environment. Departments must step up their database maintenance of registrations, pet locations and their health status in a robust way. A practical way to start is to track current pet owners from pet shop and breeder sales registries – which can be done by Animal Welfare Boards. Data pertaining to exotic species can be handed over to the State Forest Department for further action. The Animal Welfare Board and the State Forest Department must improve interoperability in the training of pet owners, pet shopkeepers, and breeders. To prevent another outbreak of Zoonotic disease or disapproval from international bodies, it remains imperative to prioritise this issue, especially given the rising demand for the domestication of these species.

    Feature Image Credit: india.com

  • Drought or Floods? : Tamil Nadu Needs An Integrated Water Management Policy

    Drought or Floods? : Tamil Nadu Needs An Integrated Water Management Policy

    Tamil Nadu not only requires a more sustainable and scientific approach to water management but an integrated development model that no longer separates the human environment, basic needs, ecological justice and public accountability   

    Every time we are faced with drought or floods, we all complain about the absence of a more sustainable water management policy in the state.  Politicians and the political parties blame each other and present competing narratives of their achievements when people are caught in deep crises of survival either due to bad drought or worse floods.  The bureaucrats, police, public charity and the brave hearts work round the clock while the government monitors the rescue, relief and resettlement of the victims though patterns and intensity of engagements differ between the floods and drought situation.

    We then return to our normal selves when the floods recede and the victims of extreme drought disappear from our sight.  What happened to the excessive water during the floods and the thirsty/hungry people in drought situations who seemed to have gone out of sight? It is important to argue for a more sustainable water management policy and at the same time explore the challenges in developing and executing such a policy. We do not have an open and democratic media/socio-political environment to discuss and debate between the ministers, bureaucrats, experts, non-state actors and creative members of the civil society beyond the blame game. A curious gap is that there are no solutions emerging while causes are either understated or overemphasized by different experts and groups depending on their professional background and personal worldview.

     

    The government appears to be in a catch-22 situation over urbanization, industrialization, population growth, migrations, and the urban slums.  The impact of rural poverty, state of agriculture, unemployment, migrations as well as the level of the rural-urban divide has not been studied adequately even in a developed state like Tamil Nadu.  But there is no escape from the truth that the government is the major violator and path setter for more violations of environmental principles and laws of nature by the greedy builders and corporate interests.

    It may be relevant to recall here the Chennai floods in 2015 and the worse water shortage in less than four years time in 2019.  Besides rapid industrialization and massive urbanization issues, Chennai is also faced with the challenges of climate change which is altering the weather patterns resulting in deadly floods and prolonged droughts.  Given the nature of challenges, there is a need to move beyond developing an appropriate water management policy and strengthening climate change resilience towards addressing core concerns of our democracy such as the absence of public accountability and rights without responsibilities.

     

    Chennai’s water bodies have shrunk at an alarming rate without much public attention. Every lake that has disappeared in Chennai had been part of our ecological system. Pallikaranai marshland has unfortunately been forced to yield land to hospitals, government buildings and educational institutions including (paradoxically) the Indian Institute of Technology – Madras (IIT-M) and National Institute of Ocean Technology.

    Chennai’s water bodies have shrunk at an alarming rate without much public attention. Every lake that has disappeared in Chennai had been part of our ecological system. Pallikaranai marshland has unfortunately been forced to yield land to hospitals, government buildings and educational institutions including (paradoxically) the Indian Institute of Technology – Madras (IIT-M) and National Institute of Ocean Technology. Today, Ennore creek faces a much bigger threat than ever before.  It is time we discuss more openly about our public policy, political culture, and abuse of social power, corruption in public life and the lack of environmental ethics. In intrinsic terms, this reveals about a political society without a conscience for environmental justice which forms the basis of social justice, distributional justice and good governance.

    The percentage culture and corruption prevalent among the politicians cutting across the party and political loyalties and the nexus between the politicians, bureaucrats and the business interests are one of the most unfortunate but successful stories of decentralization of public administration in Tamil Nadu.  If these arguments appear unreasonable, then how do we explain the rise and role of sand mafias, stone quarry contractors, timber lobbies, water industry and corporate bodies engaged in mineral extraction and exploitation?  These are not unspecified and general observations because of the fact that these individuals and the corporates control the lakes, rivers, forests, seashores, land access and ultimately the policy process within the government. Although slum dwellers, settlers along the river banks and seashores as well as forest people appear as main violators of the laws of State, yet the truth is vastly different.  The Palar River in the north, Cauvery River flowing through the west to east and the Tamiraparani River in the south of Tamil Nadu bear testimonies to this brutal reality of sand quarrying and criminal nexus between politicians, bureaucrats, industrialists and the sand mafia in Tamil Nadu.

    We need to question our materialistic approach to progress in the name of growth and development.  It is not adequate to boast about our progress in social justice and the inclusive model of development without environmental justice and responsibility to our future generations.  Tamil Nadu not only requires a more sustainable and scientific approach to water management but an integrated development model that no longer separates the human environment, basic needs, ecological justice and public accountability.

  • India Meets Myanmar at a Bustling Bazaar in Chennai

    India Meets Myanmar at a Bustling Bazaar in Chennai

    Category : Heritage, Culture & Civilisation

    Title : India Meets Myanmar at a Bustling Bazaar in Chennai

    Author : Yamuna Matheswaran 12-03-2020

    Refugee/Migrant issues have plagued countries both in their domestic governance and international relations. While nations gain immensely from migrants’ contribution, governments and politicians do not hesitate to throw them out when their utility is more relevant or they become the scapegoat of their politics. Indians have migrated to various lands in search of employment, trade, and better prospects as entrepreneurs. Tamils have travelled to Burma and many other countries through trade over millenniums. In recent times Tamils and other Indian migration happened during the British Raj. Indians in Burma – primarily Tamils hailing from Tamil Nadu, but also Bengalis, Telugus, and other groups – worked as farmers, civil servants, traders, moneylenders, day labourers, and security personnel. Their world came crashing down in 1962 when military dictator Ne Win seized power and stripped ethnic minorities of their businesses, land, and claims to citizenship leading to an exodus of refugees to India, mostly Tamils. Yamuna Matheswaran revisits the Burmese refugees in Chennai and its issues 50 years down the line.


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  • Chennai’s Water Stress: Urgent Need for Effective Water Security

    Chennai’s Water Stress: Urgent Need for Effective Water Security

    In Chennai, while the demand for water has been rising steeply with rapid urbanisation and growing population, water supply has been hit hard due to monsoon failures, over-exploitation of groundwater, heat waves and inadequate infrastructure. Following poor rainfall since 2018, all four major drinking water sources (four lakes) in the city dried up holding less than 1 percent of their capacities, aggravating the city’s water gap. The summer 2019 water crisis in Chennai has revealed the scale and magnitude of the water challenge, which can be viewed from two angles- one that is caused from a lack of safe water provisions and the other due to scarcity of available water resources.

    In Tamil Nadu, over 95 percent of surface water and 80 percent of groundwater have been utilised, with the per capita availability of water merely 900 cubic meters against a national average of 2200 cubic meters. Additionally, the state is, almost entirely, dependent on rainfall to restore its water resources. Erratic monsoon, therefore, create acute water shortage and droughts in the state. Further, Chennai being a coastal city, there is a high run off rate.

    Water Shortage – Man made Crisis

    Of the total water available, 75 percent of the available water is utilised for agriculture, leaving very little for industrial and personal consumption. The shortage has led to many unregulated private borewells and groundwater extraction. Others have resorted to private tankers who charge exorbitantly, in the absence of alternatives. While the coping costs is only 1 percent of the total income for high income groups, it is 15 percent for middle income groups and 40-50 percent for low income groups. To level the burden, state’s interventions are indispensable and all attempts towards regulating rates have failed due to tanker lobbies.

    In the absence of proper legislation, there has been an 85 percent decline of groundwater levels. Depleting groundwater level and intrusion of seawater have significantly reduced the water quality as well. Additionally, the state needs to build storage facilities and prevent water runoff, evident from the failure of at storing excessive water from 2015 flood which flowed back to the sea. The authorities have also ignored the illegal encroachment and excessive migration of people. An estimated 8,20,000 people live in slums, often without access to a consistent water supply. Poor infrastructure to retain water and low water holding capacity of soil have also affected green water within the soil that supports food and biomass production.

    The water shortage have spilled over to other dimensions as well. The unbalanced emphasis on the supply side issues has created water rage and incidents of local arguments over conservation methods, utilisation patterns, etc. Small businesses, schools, restaurants and others have evolved their own methods to tackle the crisis. Corporates encouraged work from home, many skipped daily wages waiting for water delivery and Chennai Metro temporarily stopped air conditioning in non-peak hours. The water disruptions also affected production, increased input costs and reduced investments in the city.

    Need for Active State Intervention

    Since water is a state subject, its management remains the responsibility of state government. The evident and growing water scarcity immediately demanded policy interventions and action programmes from the Tamil Nadu government. To tackle the high prices charged by tankers, the Municipal Administration hired water tankers for supplying water to the public and demanded that people refuse services of those charging steep rates. However, the Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board was delivering 500 million litres, less than half of the city’s needs. In such a scenario, authorities should instead actively regulate the prices and penalise defaulters.

    Water Supply Scheme in Chennai has been approved under JNNURM for improving and strengthening water supply within the city. However, leak detection and rectification is only part of Phase 6 of the scheme. This needs to be prioritised to prevent water wastage. Further, proposal to extend basic amenities to unserved areas under the scheme is still pending. To stop the complete dependence on rainwater, the administration has taken up the construction of a third desalination plant, financed through a KFW loan and AMRUT funds. A Request for Interest has also been issued for setting up three small scale Seawater Reverse Osmosis desalination plants of 10MLD each. However, many argue that desalination should be the last resort since it is expensive, energy intensive and environmentally damaging. Instead, the government should restore and rejuvenate water bodies in the city (currently there are over 100 such bodies each ranging between 2-50 acres), currently polluted with untreated waste, plastic and water hyacinths. There should also be regulations in place to prevent encroachment and pollution of water boundaries by humans.

    To have a sustainable system, rainwater harvesting was made mandatory since 2003, requiring buildings to install rooftop water catchment system and collect rainwater. However, poor implementation and maintenance have proved this measure ineffective. Local and state buildings should lead in rainwater harvesting. Following this, there should be regular checks and local bodies should provide assistance in maintaining these structures. The government is also engaging with NGOs and experts to desilt rivers to improve storage capacity in time for North East monsoons. While the measure is not an immediate fix, it is a long term measure. Though CMWSSB has pushed for desilting, many suggested plans are yet to be approved by the Water Resources Department. Even approved projects are prolonged and poorly managed. For instance, 1.93 lakhs cubic metres of silt are yet to be cleared in Porur lake, the process is yet to begin at Cholavaram lake, etc.

    On a careful observation, it can be established that most efforts currently employed address supply side issues like desalination, mismanagement, restoring water sources, etc. While supply oriented approaches are necessary, it is dependent on availability of water that is largely a product of nature and climate. The demand for water, however, is largely dependent on humans, directly impacted by the population size, industrial use patterns, water efficiency, etc. Hence, there is a need to equally focus on demand management measures, to formulate proper policies for water security.

    TN government has rejected the pricing of agricultural electricity consumption stating that it will burden the farmers and raise food prices. However, the state should actively try to reduce water consumption through irrigation, by measures like fixed timing for supply of power (used to pump groundwater), training farmers on water conservation methods, encouraging efficient irrigation techniques(drip irrigation or spray irrigation instead of flood irrigation), etc.

    Data intensive Analysis should guide Effective Policy Formulation and Implementation

    With wide spread experience of water scarcity and data projecting a situation normalising drought, it is the right time to adopt water conservation methods and push for change to limited water use lifestyle. Cape Town, that faced a similar situation, successfully implemented behavioural nudges to reduce water use. Most effective nudges included offering conservation feedback to users on their performance in relation to neighbours, and creating Water Maps that highlighted areas compliant with the targets. Further, reuse of water should be encouraged for landscaping, flushing toilets, etc.

    More importantly, to develop ideal policies and evolve schemes, there is a need for water accounting to track and understand the extent of water scarcity, check inter basin river transfers for better negotiations and make trade-offs with other states, improve preparedness for emergencies, etc. There should also be public water audits on institutions, laws, public and private usages, etc for transparency and accountability.

    Currently, water is managed by multiple agencies – one to handle encroachment, one for lake rejuvenation, another for pollution control, and so on- with overlapping responsibilities and little coordination between them. For responsible and accountable water governance, these bodies should be under an integrated agency. Overall, the demand side measures should equally be managed by the state. Towards this, the model of city’s development should be altered to distribute migration across the state, especially to areas that receive higher annual rainfall and have abundant water sources. In addition to reducing the water stress faced by the city, it will hinder the overcrowding in Chennai’s urban space and bring equitable development across the state.

    Renuka Paul is a Research Analyst with ‘The Peninsula Foundation’.

    Photo by Adhithya Srinivasan on Unsplash