In a major step in preserving wetlands in the country, the govt of India has added three more sites to India’s list of Ramsar sites. Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Bhupender Yadav announced on 14th August that on the eve of Independence Day, India has increased its tally of Ramsar sites to 85 from the existing 82 by designating three more wetlands as Ramsar Sites.
The three new Ramsar sites are Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu (125.865 ha), Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu (5151.6 ha), and Tawa Reservoir in Madhya Pradesh (20050 ha).
With this, the total area under 85 Ramsar sites is now 13,58,068 hectares, the minister said. He said that the achievement reflects the emphasis Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid on establishing harmony with nature, calling our wetlands Amrit Dharohars, and working relentlessly for their conservation.
Triple joy!
— Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) August 14, 2024
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
The Union Minister congratulated the states of Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh whose wetlands have been added to the Ramsar sites. He also said that India needs to pledge that Viksit Bharat is a Green Bharat.
Ramsar sites are wetland sites designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, also known as “The Convention on Wetlands”, an international environmental treaty signed on 2 February 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, under the auspices of UNESCO.
The Ramsar Convention provides a framework for national action and international cooperation to protect these vital ecosystems, which are critical for biodiversity, water purification, flood control, and supporting human livelihoods. Wetlands designated under the convention are known as Ramsar Sites, and member countries commit to maintaining the ecological character of these sites and to promoting the wise use of all wetlands within their territories.
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 has maximum number of Ramsar Sites with18 sites, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 10 sites.
Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary:
The Nanjarayan lake a large shallow wetland situated along the north-eastern region of Uthukuli Taluk of Tiruppur District in Tamil Nadu. The wetlands in this region depend mainly on weather conditions, especially on heavy rain water flow from Nallar drainage. Nanjarayan Lake is located on the Tiruppur -Uthukkuli main road about 10 km north of Tiruppur city in an area of 125.865 Ha near Sarkar Periyapalayam village in Tiruppur district. The lake falls under two villages (Sarkar Periyapalayam and Neruperichal). The lake got its name from the fact that it was repaired and restored by King Nanjarayan who was ruling the region many centuries ago.
Further, about 191 species of birds, 87 species of butterflies, 7 species of amphibians, 21 species of reptiles, 11 species of small mammals and 77 species of plants have been recorded in and around the lake. The site 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. The lake 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
The Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary covering an area of 5151.6 ha was declared as the 16th bird sanctuary in Tamil Nadu in the year 2021. It is a brackish shallow lake located on the Coromandel Coast in Villupuram district, North of Pondicherry. 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.
The Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary lies in the Central Asian Flyway and is an important stopover site for migratory species of birds and breeding ground for resident species of birds, breeding ground for fish and serves as a major recharge source for the aquifers. In areas of brackish water highly degraded mangrove patches containing Avicennia species are found. In the earlier years, this area was reportedly harbouring Tropical Dry Evergreen Forests. In this area, reed (Typhaangustata) is found in several hundred hectares.
Tawa Reservoir
The Tawa Reservoir has been constructed at the confluence of the Tawa and Denwa rivers. River Malani, Sonbhadra, and Nagdwari are the major tributaries of Tawa reservoir. Tawa River, a left bank tributary originates from Mahadeo hills in Chhindwara district, flows through Betul district and joins river Narmada in Narmadapuram district. It is the longest tributary of river Narmada (172 Km). Tawa Reservoir is situated near Itarsi town. The reservoir was built mainly for irrigation purpose. Although later on it is also being used for power generation and aquaculture. The total submergence area of Tawa reservoir is 20,050 hectares. The total catchment area of the reservoir is 598,290 hectares.
Tawa reservoir comes under the administrative control of Forest department, district Narmadapuram. The reservoir is located inside the Satpura Tiger Reserve and forms the western boundary of the Satpura National Park and Bori Wildlife Sanctuary. Reservoir is important for aquatic flora and fauna especially birds and wild animals. Many rare and endangered species of plants, reptiles and insects are found here. It is an important habitat for many local and migratory birds. It is the largest protected area in the state Madhya Pradesh. The region is endowed with many unique features from ecological, archaeological, historical and forestry point of view.
