World Wetlands Day: The origin, purpose and theme this year
According to Union environment ministry, the theme this year is "Wetland and Water". The ministry said that with the theme, the intention is to bring the focus to the availability of water and its usage.
Today is World Wetlands Day, which marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. It is one of the oldest intergovernmental accord signed by members countries to preserve the ecological character of their wetlands of international importance.
According to Union environment ministry, the theme this year is "Wetland and Water". The ministry said that with the theme, the intention is to bring the focus to the availability of water and its usage.
It said that only 2.5 per cent of water on earth is fresh and less than 1 per cent is usable. "Our water use has increased six-fold in the last 100 years and rises by 1 per cent each year," the environment ministry said.
Natural wetlands are permanently or seasonally saturated in water and create habitats for aquatic plants. They retain large volumes of water and their slow release makes them important for combating extreme weather conditions like floods and droughts. Termed 'kidneys of landscape', wetlands contribute to water purification, water regulation, biodiversity, aesthetics and recreation, according to the United Nations.
India has maximum wetlands in South Asia - 7.7 lakh - covering the country’s 4.6 per cent geographical area, according to a report of NGO Wetland International. The number of wetlands in India is only next to Japan and China in Asia.
Last year, Ramsar declared 10 more wetland sites from India as sites of international importance.
According to environment ministry, 35 per cent of wetlands have disappeared since the 1970s and 87 per cent have been lost since the 1700s. Causes of wetland loss are drainage and infilling for agriculture and construction, pollution, overexploitation of resources (like overfishing), invasive species and climate change.
It has asked state governments and other agencies involved to ensure that wetlands are preserved as the future of many species depend on the health of these regions.
