World
Wetlands Day is celebrated on February 2 each year to mark the Day the
Convention on Wetlands was adopted in the Iranian City of Ramsar in 1971. India
is a party to the Convention since 1982 and committed to the Ramsar approach of
wise use of wetlands.
Continued
functioning of wetlands has acquired a new meaning in the age of increasing
water and food security. Wetlands are the life support for a range of plant and
animal life and as wetlands degrade, the existence of these life forms would be
under stress. At the same time, it is for the security of human well-being,
that wetland conservation acquires prominence.
Wetlands support human well-being
in a number of ways. As ‘kidneys of landscape’, wetlands
receive flows of water and waste from upstream sources. They help stabilize
water supplies, cleanse polluted waters, protect shorelines and recharge
groundwater aquifers. The extensive food chain and biological diversity in wetlands
make them ‘biological supermarkets’. Wetlands have special attributes as
cultural heritage of humanity, and have deep connections with our beliefs and
practices. They are an important part of our natural wealth and “liquid
assets”. Despite
their tremendous value, wetlands are also one of the most rapidly degrading
ecosystems.
The theme of World Wetlands Day for 2017
is ‘Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction’. This
theme has been selected to raise awareness on the vital roles of healthy
wetlands in reducing the impacts of extreme events on communities and in
helping to build resilience.
This
year World Wetland Day is being celebrated in collaboration with the Government
of Madhya Pradesh at Bhoj Wetlands, Bhopal, which is one of the 26 Ramsar sites
that India has designated under the Ramsar Convention. All the State
Governments have been requested to celebrate the World Wetland Day in their
respective States in a befitting manner.
The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), Chennai, under the
Ministry, has planned two events to spread public awareness about conservation
of Wetlands. The first is a radio-outreach and awareness generation campaign.
In partnership with a prominent radio station with a multi-city presence, NBA
will run information snippets on wetlands, their role in disaster management,
and ways and means to protect them, over the period of two weeks spread over a month
(February 1 – March 2, 2017) in five cities across the country - Chennai, New
Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Thiruvanathapuram. NBA has also planned a school
outreach and awareness raising exercise for February 2,
2017. A large number of schools in Chennai will receive translated copies of
the Ramsar handouts for use of students through their school libraries, and
school administrators are being requested to organise a small event during the
morning assembly to spread the key messages. Municipal Councillors are also
being contacted and being requested to take part in the event at their nearest corporation
school.
Wetlands are our natural buffers against
increasing risk of floods, droughts and tropical cyclones. Wetlands can act as
sponges, storing peak rainfall and releasing water gradually during lean
season. The floods in Kashmir Valley in September, 2014 and Chennai city in
December, 2015 are reminders of the ways wetland destruction can make lives
vulnerable. Evidences from Super Cyclone Kalinga of 1999, Indian Ocean Tsunami
of 2004 and Phailin of 2013 underline the role coastal wetlands as estuaries
and mangroves can play in buffering communities from impacts of these cyclones
and wave surges.
Integration of
wetlands within disaster risk reduction planning can be achieved by a series of
collaborative actions between wetlands managers and those responsible for
implementation disaster risk reduction actions. Assessment of wetland ecosystem
health should be made a part of District level disaster planning processes.
Wetland management plans should have an in-built component of disaster risk reduction
to address the likely impacts of disasters on ecosystem health. Wetlands
conservation and restoration should be included within the suite of actions
proposed for reducing disaster risk, particularly those related to water, food
and climate security. States should constitute Wetland Authorities as nodal
agencies for integrated policy, planning and regulation of wetlands.
Representation of Disaster Management Authorities should be ensured within the
State Wetland Authorities. Mass awareness campaigns should be undertaken to
educate stakeholders from all walks of society, particularly local communities
on the value of wetland ecosystems.
The Ministry accords high priority to
wetlands conservation, and has a dedicated scheme of ‘National Plan for
Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems’ (NPCA) to support State Governments in
integrated management of these ecosystems. Till date, over 170 wetlands have
been covered under the programme. The Ministry has also introduced Wetlands
(Conservation and Management) Rules, 2010 as the regulatory framework for
conserving wetlands of the country.
A poster exhibition has been organised
at the Ministry to celebrate the occasion. Secretary, Ministry of Environment,
Forest and Climate Change, Shri Ajay Narayan Jha inaugurated the exhibition
today.
Seventy five students from Kalindi
College and Bharati College of Delhi University visited the exhibition.
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