Protection of wetlands need of hour

Kapurthala, February 2, 2022: Pushpa Gujral Science City celebrated World Wetlands Day by organizing a webinar to highlight the importance of actions to conserve and sustain wetlands. The day is observed on 2 February every year which marks the anniversary of Ramsar convention adopted in 1971. Around 100 students from all over Punjab participated at this occasion. The theme for this year event was “Wetlands Action for People and Nature”.
Prof C.K. Varshney, Prof. Emeritus & former Dean School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, was the key speaker at this occasion.  He delivered a special talk on “Importance of Wetlands for Human Welfare”. During his address he said that Wetlands are highly prized ecosystems of the world, however, they are also among the most polluted, abused and degraded systems. He informed that Wetlands are integral part of the global water cycle possessing unique ecological features. They support a very rich aquatic biodiversity, including many rare and endemic species. He expressed his concern that wetlands have been misunderstood and grossly undervalued throughout history and were earlier considered as wastelands, without  realizing their role as ground water rechargers and surface water purifiers. For this reason, wetlands have been thoughtlessly drained and reclaimed for other uses. It is estimated that between 1970 and 2015 they have shrunk by 30 percent, which is three times the rate of deforestation. He emphasized that a concerted wetland conservation campaign is the need of the hour to conserve aquatic biodiversity and create additional carbon sink, as envisaged under Paris Climate Agreement, to ensure climate stability and long-term human wellbeing.
Dr. Neelima Jerath, Director General, Science City, speaking at the occasion said that wetlands provide important habitat for conservation of biodiversity. Hence, it is very essential that these are well protected. Punjab has several natural and man-made wetlands and 6 of its sites namely Harike, Kanjli, Ropar, Keshopur Maini, Nangal and Beas river are Ramsar sites or wetlands of international importance. These wetlands are home to Indus River dolphin, smooth Indian otter and more than 400 species of birds, including several rare, endangered and threatened species. However, these wetlands are facing serious threats from point and non-point sources of pollution. She informed that greatest ornithologists and naturalists  Dr. Salim Ali had visited Harike in 1984 and the State has been working for wetland restoration since 1987 which has led to habitat improvement and stability in population of migratory birds. Her own work was initiated in 1988 and with combined efforts with WWF-India Harike wetland got Ramsar site status in 1990.
Dr. Rajesh Grover, Director Science City present at the occasion said that anthropogenic activities is one of the major reasons behind draining and transformation of Wetlands. He expressed dire need to invest financial and human resources and political will to restore and save the world’s wetlands from disappearing.