Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav has announced that on the eve of Independence Day 2024, three more wetlands have been added to the Ramsar Sites (Wetlands of International Importance). This addition takes India’s tally of Ramsar Sites to 85 with a total of 1358067.757 ha.
The three new sites included are:
- Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu which lakes a large shallow wetland which acts as feeding and nesting habitat for resident bird species, migratory birds use this lake as their feeding ground during the migratory season. The lake also serves as important water source for agricultural purpose in the region and plays vital role in ground water recharge. The lake is announced as 17th bird sanctuary of state of Tamil Nadu owing to its rich avifaunal diversity. The local community has already formed strong association in protecting the lake and its habitat. The forest department in collaboration with the local community manages the lake on sustainable basis.
- Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu, the 16th bird sanctuary in Tamil Nadu, which is a brackish shallow lake. The lake is connected to the Bay of Bengal by the brackish Uppukalli creek and the Edayanthittu Estuary. Kazhuveli is one of the significant and biodiversity rich wetlands. The lake is one of the largest wetlands in peninsular India. The lake can be divided into three parts based on the water features viz., the estuarine part with brackish water, the Uppukali creek feeding the sea water and the Kazuveli basin with fresh water.
- Tawa Reservoir in Madhya Pradesh which has been constructed at the confluence of the Tawa and Denwa rivers. River Malani, Sonbhadra, and Nagdwari are the major tributaries of Tawa reservoir and is the longest tributary of river Narmada (172 Km). The reservoir was built mainly for irrigation purpose. Although later on it is also being used for power generation and aquaculture.
The Union Minister congratulated the states of Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh whose wetlands have been added to the Ramsar sites. Yadav also said that India needs to pledge that Viksit Bharat is a Green Bharat.
Triple joy!
As the Nation gears up to celebrate its Independence Day, thrilled to share that we have added three Ramsar sites to our network. This takes our tally to 85 Ramsar sites, covering an area of 1358068 ha in India.
The achievement reflects the emphasis PM Shri… pic.twitter.com/GiSK6uREhV
— Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) August 14, 2024
India is one of the Contracting Parties to Ramsar Convention, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971. India became a signatory to the convention on 1st February 1982. During 1982 to 2013, a total of 26 sites were added to the list of Ramsar sites, however, during 2014 to 2024, the country has added 59 new wetlands to the list of Ramsar sites.
Currently, Tamil Nadu harbours maximum number of Ramsar Sites (18 sites) followed by Uttar Pradesh (10 sites).
