NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change submits proposals for Wetland City Accreditation (WCA) under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands for the cities of Indore, Bhopal and Udaipur.
India is one of the contracting parties and has already declared a total of 75 wetland sites under the Ramsar Convention – Intergovernmental treaty signed in 1971 at Ramsar (Iran) providing frameworks for the conservation & wise use of wetlands & their resources.
The WCA scheme under Ramsar Convention, aims to further promote the conservation and wise use of urban and peri-urban wetlands, as well as sustainable socio-economic benefits for local populations.
The Ramsar Convention during COP12 held in the year 2015 approved a voluntary WCA system that recognizes cities that have taken exceptional steps to safeguard their urban wetlands.
These are the first three Indian cities for which nominations have been submitted for WCA based on the proposals received from respective State Wetlands Authorities in collaboration with the Municipal Corporations.
The wetlands situated in and around these cities provide a plethora of benefits to its citizens in terms of flood regulation, livelihood opportunities, and recreational and cultural values. Sirpur Wetland (Ramsar site in Indore), Yashwant Sagar (Ramsar site closer to Indore), Bhoj Wetland (Ramsar Site in Bhopal), and several Wetlands (Lakes) in and around Udaipur are lifelines to these cities.
Bhupendra Yadav, Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, announced the nomination on the social media post X.
“Delighted to announce the nomination of India's first three cities – Indore, Bhopal, and Udaipur – submitted to @RamsarConv for its prestigious voluntary Wetland City Accreditation scheme” writes Yadav.
“This will also provide an opportunity for cities that value their natural or human-made wetlands to gain international recognition and positive branding opportunities for their efforts in demonstrating strong positive relationships with wetlands,” he said and commended the vision and commitment of the prime minister to conservation through community participation, and prosperity through conservation.
The ongoing Amrit Dharohar initiative of the MoEF&CC announced as part of this year’s budget also aims to achieve similar goals by promoting the unique conservation values of Ramsar Sites.