Two more Ramsar sites announced on world wetlands day
Two new Ramsar sites — Khijadiya wildlife sanctuary in Gujarat and Bakhira wildlife sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh — were announced on the occasion of World Wetlands Day at Sultanpur national park in Gurgaon Wednesday. Forest and Wildlife Department officials said India has a network of 49 such sites, the highest in South Asia, covering 10,93,636 hectares.
The Union Environment Ministry had notified the Sultanpur National Park and Bhindawas wildlife sanctuary in Jhajjar as Ramsar sites — the first two such sites in Haryana — in August 2021. Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance as per UNESCO’s 1971 Convention on Wetlands held in Ramsar, Iran. Officials said the certification brings visibility to ecologically sensitive wetlands and helps in conservation.
Speaking at the programme on World Wetlands Day at Sultanpur National Park, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced that the state will initiate an ecotourism policy focusing on homestays to promote tourism in villages around the two Ramsar sites of Haryana.
Khattar said, “Every year, 50,000 birds of more than 100 species migrate to Sultanpur. Similarly, 40,000 birds of more than 80 species come to Bhindawas every year. More than 100 home species of birds are found in Bhindawas. We can leverage this to promote tourism.”
Stating that all the ponds of the state will be rejuvenated by removing dirt, he said,“The Haryana pond and wastewater management authority have been constituted for this purpose. Earlier, siltation took place in ponds and the clay layer was removed to stop overflowing and groundwater was recharged.
Out of a total of 18,000 ponds, there are over 6,000 in the state which overflow during the rains at present. In the next two years, 4,400 of these ponds will be cleaned.”
Officials said the Aravalli Biodiversity Park, located at Delhi-Gurgaon border, has been declared as India’s first other effective area-based conservation measures’ (OECM) site. The proposal to declare the park as an OECM site was by the National Biodiversity Authority to IUCN in December 2020.
The chief guest, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, said the problem of waterlogging in Najafgarh drain will be resolved in six months:“CM has apprised me about the problem of waterlogging in Najafgarh and suggested that a drain should be dug for proper water drainage.
The Environment department has constituted a scientific committee of officials from Haryana and Delhi government, CPCB and Ministry of Environment, which will study the issue and find a solution.” He added that ecotourism will bring employment in the villages around Sultanpur Lake.