New Delhi: The state governments and Union Territory administrations celebrated World Wetlands Day (WWD) at all 75 Ramsar sites this year with over 200 events. The National Flag was hoisted at the Ramsar Sites. The wetland pledge was administered during these events. Over 50 activities were held with student engagement in which drawing competition, quiz competition, exposure activities, and bird watching were organized, informed the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on Sunday (February 5).
This is in line with emphasis on participatory management of wetlands by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who in Mann ki Baat on January 29 highlighted the invaluable role played by local communities in conservation of Ramsar Sites.
In Jammu and Kashmir, citizens took a pledge to conserve wetlands at Wular Lake.
In Himachal Pradesh, students High School Chamba were exposed to values of wetlands in seminar organized. In Bilaspur, students received prizes for winning entries in painting and slogan competition on the theme of World Wetlands Day.
In Haryana, a workshop for students was organized at Sultanpur National Park, Haryana.
In Sarsai Nawar, Uttar Pradesh, a bird watching session for students was organized wherein the different habitat preferences for species were discussed.
In Bihar, a workshop for citizens and students was organized at the State’s Ramsar site Kanwar Jheel, Begusarai. And in Madhya Pradesh at Indore and Bhopal public events were held on the occasion wherein the respective City mayors emphasised the value of wetlands conservation for sustainable urbanization.
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In Manipur, Chief Minister N Biren Singh conveyed a special message on World Wetlands Day. Public Seminar and a series of events were held at Loktak Lake and in Arunachal Pradesh, State Wetlands Authority released a special poster on the occasion, stated the government release.
In Odisha, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik issued a special message on World Wetlands Day reminding the citizens on the important role wetlands play in maintaining ecological balance and mitigating the effects of climate change, while reiterating the pledge of the government to conserve the state’s Ramsar Sites. Special functions were held at Tampara Lake and Ansupa Lakes wherein students and citizens participated.
In Tamil Nadu, the Forest Minister M. Mathiventhan unveiled a plaque at the Pallikaranai eco-park, Chennai on the occasion of World Wetlands Day.
The World Wetlands Day is observed on 2nd February every year all over the world to commemorate the signing of Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance in 1971. India is a party to the Convention since 1982 and has so far declared 75 wetlands as Ramsar sites covering 23 states and Union Territories.
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The 2023 theme for World Wetlands Day is ‘Wetland Restoration’ which highlights the urgent need to prioritize wetland restoration. It is a call on an entire generation to take proactive action for wetlands, by investing financial, human and political capital to save the wetlands from disappearing and to revive and restore those that have been degraded.
India has the largest network of Ramsar Sites in Asia, making these sites a critical ecological network for conservation of global biological diversity and supporting human well-being.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) launched Mission Sahbhagita in 2022 with a mission of ‘a healthy and effectively managed network of 75 wetlands of national and international significance which support water and food security; buffer from floods, droughts, cyclones and other extreme events; employment generation; conservation of species of local, national and international significance; climate change mitigation and adaptation actions; and recognition, conservation and celebration of cultural heritage.’
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
