Nearly two of every five wetlands in India have lost their natural existence: Basics Explained

Nearly two of every five wetlands in India have lost their natural existence in the last 30 years while 40%of water bodies have lost quality for survival of the aquatic animals, according to estimates by Wetlands International (WI), a not-for-profit global organisation based in the Netherlands, which works to sustain and restore wetlands and their resources for people and biodiversity.

Natural wetlands are permanently or seasonally saturated in water and create habitats for aquatic plants. They retain large volumes of water and their slow release makes them important for combatting extreme weather conditions like floods and droughts. Wetlands also contribute to water purification, water regulation, biodiversity, aesthetics and recreation, according to the United Nations.

India presentaly has around 2.2 lakh big Wetlands covering over 2.2 hectars and 5.5 lakh smaller ones. Of these, nearly 60,000 big wetlands are situated inside protected forests areas which could be deemed as safe.

     Loss of wetlands, to urbanisation, agricultural expansion and pollution and lack of knowledge on wetlands and its eco system, should be seen as  a development crisis manifesting into increased water, food and climate insecurity.

STEPS TO MITIGATE THE CRISIS

  • Awareness and community mobilization.
  • Competent agencies to reclaim land under relevant provision of law and impose total prohibition on the alteration of the natural inflow and outflow of water bodies.
  • Recognising wetlands under a distinct land use category and recording them in land-use records would be a major step towards protecting them

LEARNING FROM HOME/ WITHOUT CLASSES/ BASICS

Wetlands provide a range of important resources and ecosystem services such as food, water and fibre. India is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The Convention’s mission is “the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world”.

                    The Convention uses a broad definition of wetlands. It includes all lakes and rivers, underground aquifers, swamps and marshes, wet grasslands, peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, mangroves and other coastal areas, coral reefs, and all human-made sites such as fish ponds, rice paddies, reservoirs and salt pans.

WETLANDS.  Wetlands are areas of land where water covers the soil – all year or just at certain times of the year. It includes all lakes and rivers, underground aquifers, swamps and marshes, wet grasslands, peatlands, oases, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, mangroves and other coastal areas, coral reefs, and all human-made sites such as fish ponds, rice paddies, reservoirs and salt pans. Wetlands may be natural or artificial and the water within a wetland may be static or flowing, fresh, brackish or saline. There are even underground wetlands.

Wetlands are a critical part of our natural environment. They protect our shores from wave action, reduce the impacts of floods, absorb pollutants and improve water quality. They provide habitat for animals and plants and many contain a wide diversity of life, supporting plants and animals that are found nowhere else.

Globally, wetlands cover 6.4 per cent of the geographical area of the world.

In India, according to the National Wetland Inventory and Assessment
compiled by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), wetlands are spread over 1,52,600 square kilometres (sq km) which is 4.63 per cent
of the total geographical area of the country.

           Of the 1,52,600 sq km, inland-natural wetlands account for 43.4% and coastal-natural wetlands 24.3%. Rivers/streams occupy 52,600 sq km, reservoirs/barrages 24,800 sq km, inter-tidal mudflats 24,100 sq km, tanks/ponds 13,100 sq km and lake/ponds 7300 sq km.

           India has 19 types of wetlands. In state-wise distribution of wetlands, Gujarat is at the top with 34,700 sq km (17.56 percent of total geographical area of the state), or 22.7 percent of total wetlands areas of the country thanks to a long coastline.It is followed by Andhra Pradesh (14,500 sq km), Uttar Pradesh (12,400 sq km) and West Bengal (11,100 sq km).

India adds 11 more wetlands to the list of Ramsar sites to make total 75 Ramsar sites covering an area of 13,26,677 ha in the country in the
75th year of Independence
.

Tamil Nadu has maximum no. of Ramsar sites (14 nos), followed by UP which has 10 nos. of Ramsar sites.  

The 11 new sites include:  Four (4) sites in Tamil Nadu, Three (3) in
Odisha, Two (2) in Jammu & Kashmir and One (1) each in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Designation of these sites would help in conservation and
management of wetlands and wise use of their resources. 

READ:India lost 2 out of 5 wetlands in last 3 decades, say experts | India News – Times of India (indiatimes.com)

 

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