February 2 is celebrated as World Wetlands Day. It marks the signing of the Convention of Wetlands at Ramsar. This is an international treaty for sustainable utilisation and conservation of wetlands keeping in mind their ecological functions.
India’s ecological diversity is unparalleled. But today, it is being destroyed at an alarming rate. One of the ecosystems that has been ravaged today is the wetlands. These are complex ecosystems that are mostly covered with water permanently, or sometimes, after rains. They include diverse habitats like lakes, swamps, floodplains and salt marshes. Wetlands support bird life ranging from painted storks, purple moorhens to herons. Many decades ago, numerous patches of wetlands were present around Indian towns and villages. Today, one-third of the country’s wetlands are already wiped out or severely degraded because of habitat destruction and encroachment. Most landfills around cities and towns would have been thriving wetlands once upon a time.
Winds of change This is a disturbing scenario because wetlands play an important role by providing ecological security. They perform extraordinary functions like recharging ground water, acting as a drain during floods, recycling nutrients and purifying water. When protected, these wetlands can bounce back to life like Odisha’s Chilika Lake.
It is the second largest salt water lagoon in the world and is the largest winter ground for migratory birds in the Indian sub-continent. Apart from the lakhs of birds that come during winter, Chilika also supports around 1, 50,000 fishermen who are dependent on the lake for their livelihood. It is also one of the last homes of the endangered Irrawady dolphins.
The reason for such diversity is the influence of the salt water from the Bay of Bengal and the freshwater that comes from numerous river channels and rivers like the Mahanadhi.
This thriving lake was close to dying in the late 1990s. The seawater inflow reduced it to a trickle as the sea inlets became choked with silt. So, freshwater inflow increased and altered the lake’s ecosystem. Commercial aquaculture and prawn cultivation caused drastic decline in the lake’s fish and bird population.
Meticulous research and immediate conservation measures implemented by the Odisha Government brought the lake back to life. A new sea mouth was opened to allow constant inflow of seawater. Sustainable monitoring of the lake increased the fish population and migratory birds started returning in large numbers.
Today, Chilika Lake is one of the few thriving wetland ecosystems in our country and it remains an inspiring success story for conserving wetlands. We must ensure that the ecosystems that support our livelihoods are conserved for eternity and not destroyed in the process of economic progress.
Watch those birds
You could spend hours at a wetland watching birds. There are fair chances that you will find a wetland around your locality. Here are five pointers to get started!
Field Guide: A must. It contains information on different birds, with appropriate illustrations to aid identification of species. Book of Indian Birds by Salim Ali is an ideal choice.
Binoculars: Many birds are seen at a distance or in low-light conditions. So, binoculars will enable you to identify the bird easily.
A field notebook and pen: Watching birds becomes interesting when you note down important information about birds such as location, time and season and your observations during birding.
Proper research and planning can make a wetland birding trip productive. Know the birds in the area you are visiting, the habitats they occupy and the time of the day they prefer to be active.
You should be quiet at all times and wear dull-coloured clothing to increase your chances of blending with the background.
In danger
Vembanad on the wane: Declared as a Ramsar Site in 2002, the Vembanad Kol Lake is South India’s largest wetland ecosystem. Home to more than 20,000 waterfowl, and a variety of fin and shell fish, Vembanad is a hotbed for livelihood activities including fishing, agriculture, tourism, and lime shell collection among others. Unrestrained shell mining from the lake and effluents pose a threat to the eco-system and are responsible for dwindling levels of the water’s dissolved oxygen content.
Kolleru calling: One of India’s largest freshwater lakes, Kolleru, in Andhra Pradesh, is located between Krishna and Godavari districts and is also a Ramsar site. Encroachments, unauthorised constructions and silt deposits have resulted in a decline in the variety of birds including painted storks, pelicans, glossy ibises, teals, pintails and others. What’s more, the lake has also lost its original shape.
Kanjia’s woes: Kanjia Lake, on the northern outskirts of Bhubaneswar, covers an area of 105 hectares and also has a scuba diving facility. Rich in biodiversity, it consists of various species of birds, reptiles, fish and prawns. Various illegal activities like uncontrolled quarrying and dumping of solid waste pose a threat to this wetland.
Other wetland ecosystems include the Pallikaranai wetland in Chennai, Punjab’s Harike, Pong Dam Lake in Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan’s Sambhar Lake, and Bhoj Wetland in Madhya Pradesh.
With inputs from Madhuvanti S. Krishnan
