Wetlands are ecological hubs

1. GoBOb/Shutterstock.com
‘kidneys of the earth’

3. A flock of flamingos congregates at a wetland site in Bhandup, Mumbai (Kaushik Naik/ TOI, BCCL Mumbai)

4. https://awkwardbotany.com/2013/05/19/wetlands/

5. Agriculture And Construction Activities
Industrial Pollution
Climate Change
Invasive Species
Municipal Pollution
Threats to wetlands

6. The Kanwar lake in Bihar, Asia’s largest freshwater oxbow lake, has shrunk to
one-third of its size due to encroachment, much like Jammu and Kashmir’s Dal
lake. And, about 34000 hectares of the water spread area of the Kolleru lake
(Andhra Pradesh) have been reclaimed for agriculture in recent years.
10–15 percent of the nutrients added to the soils through fertilizers eventually find
their way to the surface water system. High nutrient contents stimulate algal
growth, leading to eutrophication of surface water bodies.
River Yamuna, which passes through 6 Indian States, receives about 1789 MLD of
untreated waste water from the capital city of Delhi alone. This is about 78 percent
of the total pollution load that flows in to the river every day.
untreated industrial effluents have become a major threat to the survival of
wetlands. For instance, the Bellandur Lake in Bengaluru city was ‘on fire’ in May
2015 due to the discharge of effluents (especially nutrient rich foams) by the
surrounding industries.
wetlands located in high altitude as well as coastal areas, like
mangroves and coral reefs, are some of the most sensitive classes that
will be affected by climate change.
Apart from the above major threats, immersion of idols and religious ritual waste,
introduction of exotic species, encroachments and unregulated aquaculture (e.g.
Kolleru lake)
https://thenorthlines.com/threats-conservation-wetlands-india-ii/
Urbanization and land use changes
Agricultural residues
Municipal and Industrial pollution
Climate Change

7. Threats to Deepor Beel
India has lost nearly one-third of her natural
wetlands to urbanization, agricultural expansion and
pollution over the last four decades. It is estimated
that wetlands are vanishing three times faster than
forests and their rate of disappearance is increasing.
The Guwahati Municipality dump yard, located at Boragaon, lies in the eastern
corner of Deepor Beel.
Once abundant in the wetlands of the north-eastern region, the giant water
lily is now found only in a few wetlands because of large-scale harvesting
of its seeds by destroying the plant. A villager turns the leaf to collect the
seeds, in Deepor Beel.
https://frontline.thehindu.com
Deepor Beel, a Ramsar site near Guwahati in Assam, known for its fish and
bird diversity and rich aquatic vegetation that attracts wild elephants, faces
conservation threats from garbage dumping, quarrying, and the construction of
a railway line, besides a smart city project.

8. According to experts, many fish species in Deepor Beel have become
extinct and many are facing the threat of extinction because of
continuous water pollution.
The wetland ecosystem is disturbed by the railroad in its southern boundary

9.  Son Beel, one of the largest wetlands of Assam is shrinking. This depletes
the fish catch in the waters, thereby truncating the incomes of fishermen.
 Unsustainable fishing, pollution and agricultural encroachments are other
issues that challenge Son Beel’s ecosystem.
 Some experts say that declaring Son Beel as a Ramsar site is important,
while others call for the fisherfolk to fish sustainably and the government
to introduce better policies
The wetland is spread over
more than 3,000 ha in
Assam’s Barak valley and is
fed mostly by the Singla river,
originating from the hills of
Mizoram.
by Mongabay
Son Beel

10. Hijol trees that serve as habitats for migratory birds in Son Beel are being felled
Paddy cultivation in Son Beel is viewed as an encroachment
https://www.eastmojo.com

11. Land Use
Classes
1977 2015 Change (1977 to 2015)
km2 % km2 % km2 %
Open
water
bodies
74.76 30.30 101.65 41.20 −26.89 −10.94
Agricultura
l area
10.33 4.18 35.66 14.45 −25.33 −10.27
Phumdis
with thick
vegetation
24.23 9.82 15.64 6.33 8.59 3.49
Phumdis
with thin
vegetation
132.24 53.59 82.86 33.58 49.38 20.01
Settlement 5.16 2.09 10.91 4.42 −5.75 −2.33
Total 246.72 100 246.72 100 0.00 0.00
An aerial view of Loktak Lake with its floating phumdis
Pollution, habitat loss, damming, overexploitation, besides species invasion, are
the major threats to Loktak Lake.
The loss of Phumdis is a major concern for environmentalist as it homes to the
highly endangered Rucervus eldii eldii.
Kangabam et al., 2019
The increase in agricultural area and settlement is due to the construction of
Ithai barrage which submerged the low lying agricultural area thereby
depriving the livelihood of the local people which later depend on the lake
resource for their livelihood.
Manipur’s floating lake at risk

12. https://www.indiawaterportal.org