World Wetlands Day: In Punjab, falling number of migratory birds and other threats

What are wetlands?

Wetlands are regions covered by h2o either perennially oregon seasonally, specified arsenic marshes and lakes. They are captious reservoirs of biodiversity, assistance h2o conservation and supply situation for numerous migratory birds, aquatic species, and works life. They besides assistance recharge groundwater, power floods and enactment fisheries and section communities.

From the constituent of presumption of clime alteration mitigation, wetlands are important c sinks, meaning they sorb much c from the ambiance than they release.

To beforehand wetlands conservation globally, the Ramsar Convention of 1971 was signed successful Ramsar, Iran, arsenic an intergovernmental agreement. It defines wetlands arsenic “areas of marsh, fen, peatland oregon water, whether earthy oregon artificial, imperishable oregon temporary, with h2o that is static oregon flowing, fresh, brackish oregon salt, including areas of marine h2o the extent of which astatine debased tide does not transcend six metres”. These sites person planetary enactment for conservation and management.

A View of Harike Pattan wetland. (Express photograph by Rana Simranjit Singh)

What are immoderate important wetlands successful India?

India has 89 Ramsar sites. The designation of a wetland is based connected assorted criteria nether the convention. For example, “A wetland should beryllium considered internationally important if it supports works and/or carnal taxon astatine a captious signifier successful their beingness cycles, oregon provides refuge during adverse conditions.” It besides looks astatine the sites’ capableness to enactment fishes and waterbirds.

Tamil Nadu has the astir Ramsar sites astatine 20. Punjab has six large wetlands, including northbound India’s largest – the Harike wetlands oregon Harike Pattan which stretches implicit 86 sq. Designated arsenic a Ramsar Site successful 1990, it hosts migratory birds similar the Siberian crane, bar-headed geese, and galore waterfowl.

The Kanjli wetlands successful Kapurthala territory are on the Kali Bein river, with assorted food species, turtles and migratory birds recovered here. The Ropar Wetlands are located connected the banks of the Sutlej River. Nangal Wetlands are a cardinal portion of the Bhakra-Nangal reservoir, location to implicit 40,000 migratory birds that travel to India annually during the winter.

The Beas Conservation Reserve, adjacent the stream of the aforesaid name, has Indus River Dolphins, turtles, and freshwater fish. The Ranjit Sagar wetlands were formed aft the instauration of the Ranjit Sagar Dam connected the Ravi River. It has otters and migratory birds.

Decline successful migratory birds successful Punjab’s wetlands

According to the 2023-24 vertebrate census by the Punjab government’s Department of Forests and Wildlife Conservation, a diminution successful migratory vertebrate populations has been observed crossed Punjab’s wetlands.

From 2023-24, the corporate number of migratory and nonmigratory birds astatine its six protected wetlands decreased by astir 13.7% – from 85,882 successful 2022-23 to 74,129 successful 2023-24. This followed a 10.47% diminution from 95,928 successful 2021-22 to 85,882 successful 2022-23. The lone metallic lining was that successful 2023-24, 114 taxon of migratory and nonmigratory birds visited these sites compared to 107 taxon successful 2022-23.

Kanjli Wetland experienced the astir important drop, with numbers falling astir 49.49% – from 1,190 successful 2021-22 to 601 successful 2022-23 and to a further 600 successful 2023-24.

The large threats to wetlands, successful general, are owed to man-made factors, starring to situation degradation and declining biodiversity. In Punjab, concern discarded discharge from factories adjacent Harike, Ropar, and Kanjli wetlands contaminates h2o bodies. Illegal soil mining successful riverbeds further disrupts h2o retention and aquatic life.

Pesticides and fertilisers utilized successful cultivation fields adjacent wetlands besides impact wildlife. In Ludhiana, the polluted Budha Nallah’s h2o is discharged into the Sutlej river, yet reaching the Harike Wetlands. The antagonistic interaction of clime alteration and rising temperatures is besides being felt.

To amended the conditions of wetlands, measures similar afforestation of autochthonal histrion taxon adjacent the wetlands, ungraded conservation, checks connected amerciable mining and nationalist consciousness person been suggested.