Home CATEGORIES Environment Indore and Udaipur Joins Wetlands Accredited Cities by UNESCO

Indore and Udaipur Joins Wetlands Accredited Cities by UNESCO

By
The CSR Journal
-
349
0
SHARE
Wetlands
 
UNESCO has added Udaipur and Indore to its list of Wetland Cities of the world, making them the only two from India to get the recognition. With the new additions, the number of Wetland Cities in the world has reached to 31. This accreditation is an international recognition for the cities that value their natural and human-made wetlands.
Accreditation is granted to only those cities which satisfy all the six international criteria including adopting measures for conservation of wetlands and their ecosystem services. The accreditation scheme aims to promote conservation and wise use of urban and peri-urban wetlands as well as sustainable socio-economic benefits for local populations.
Shri Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, expressed his enthusiasm by sharing the news on his X handle stating, “Double joy! I am thrilled to share that in a first for India, Indore in Madhya Pradesh and Udaipur in Rajasthan have joined the list of 31 Wetland Accredited Cities in the world – a testimony to PM Shri @narendramodi ji’s vision of marching ahead aligning economy and ecology. The achievement reflects the emphasis laid by India on holistic development of our urban areas without compromising on ecological conservation in both urban and rural centres. Congratulations, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan on this unique achievement! Let us pledge to make Viksit Bharat a Green Bharat.”

Udaipur

Udaipur boasts of scenic waterbodies like Pichola, Fatehsagar, Govardhan Sagar and Badi. The new recognition will help Udaipur conserve its wetlands by making large-scale efforts to stop littering in the periphery and regulation on encroachment. New islands will be developed as the resting places of migratory winged guests.
To boost tourism, Udaipur will now be promoted at different levels, making additional funds available for all the work. Till now, funding was received only from the state and the Centre, and the Ramsar tag will help in getting funds from abroad.

Indore

Indore has been recognised as the cleanest city in the country under Swachh Sarvekshan. This new recognition adds to the city’s image.
Sirpur Lake, Indore’s first Ramsar site, has been selected to hold a celebration on World Wetlands Day on February 2. The secretary general of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands will mark her presence to highlight the importance of conserving such waterbodies. Foreign delegates and representatives from all 75 Ramsar sites of the country will attend the event.
Sirpur Lake is a key site for water-bird congregation and is being developed as a bird sanctuary. A strong network of more than 200 ‘wetland mitras’ is engaged in bird conservation and sensitising the local community to protect Sarus Crane.
It’s a human-made wetland that has stabilized and acquired near-natural characteristics in the last two centuries. Commonly named Pakshi Vihar (bird sanctuary), it’s a shallow, alkaline, nutrient-rich lake that floods during monsoon to a maximum depth of two metres. It boasts a wealth of plants and animals including threatened species: it supports some 175 terrestrial plant species, six macrophytes, 30 natural and cultured fish species, eight reptiles, and amphibians.
Waterbirds congregate in winter; the site supports 130 bird species in all, including residents and migrants such as common pochard (Aythya ferina), Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) and Indian river tern (Sterna aurantia). The Sirpur Wetland provides surrounding communities with fisheries and medicinal plants, and acts as a buffer against flooding while helping to regulate the local microclimate.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR