The Union Environment Ministry on August 14, 2024 said that three more wetlands in India have been designated ‘Ramsar sites’. This brings the total number of such sites in India to 85.
The three new sites are — the Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary; the Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu; and the Tawa Reservoir in Madhya Pradesh.
Nanjarayan lake
The Nanjarayan lake a large shallow wetland situated along the north-eastern region of Uthukuli Taluk of Tiruppur District in Tamil Nadu.
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.
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.
Ramsar sites and India
India is one of the ‘contracting parties’ to the Ramsar Convention, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971.
It became a signatory in 1982. From 1982 to 2013, a total of 26 sites were added to the list of Ramsar sites in the country. From 2014 to 2024, the country has added 59 new wetlands to the list of Ramsar sites.
Currently, Tamil Nadu harbours the maximum number of Ramsar sites (18 sites), followed by Uttar Pradesh (10 sites).
India’s Ramsar wetlands comprise around 10% of the total wetland area in the country across 18 States. No other South Asian country has as many sites though this has much to do with India’s geographical breadth and tropical diversity.
The United Kingdom (175) and Mexico (142) — smaller countries than India — have the maximum Ramsar sites, whereas Bolivia spans the largest area, with 148,000 sq. km. under the Convention’s protection.
Being designated a Ramsar site doesn’t necessarily invite extra international funds but the Centre and States must ensure these tracts of land are conserved, and spared manmade encroachment.
