52 min
Vaidic Approach to Wetland Restoration Vaidic Srijan
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- Natural Sciences
Wetlands are amongst the most productive ecosystems on the earth. However, they are also ecologically sensitive and adaptive systems. Wetlands exhibit enormous diversity according to the genesis, geographical location, water regime and chemistry, and soil and sediment characteristics. Wetlands sustain all life forms and perform useful functions in the maintenance of ecological balance and the interface between land and water systems.
Patna (Bihar), being highly populous and one of the fastest-growing cities in India has been transforming persistently in the last couple of decades due to urbanization. Interestingly, wetlands have been observed to have shrunk significantly. The area of water bodies comprising ponds, lakes, and canals have almost halved from 1.26 km2 to 0.611 km2 between 1989 to 2014. In recent years, the Government of India and Bihar have taken note of the degradation of wetlands in various parts of the country. In this regard, about 15 wetlands in India, including Kabartal Lake in Begusarai have been recognized as wetlands of international importance by Ramsar Convention in recent years. Additionally, the Bihar State Wetland Authority has been established in 2019.
The steps taken by the Government in recent years show their seriousness towards the importance of wetlands and their conservation. In the recent virtual seminar on ‘Vulnerabilities of wetlands and its impact on climate change’, the Principal Secretary, Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of Bihar, emphasized the future need for developing an action plan for wetlands conservation and restoration in Bihar’s context. In September 2019, the Government of India announced a comprehensive scheme of the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA), which is aimed to conserve and restore 130 identified wetlands and lakes at the 14th Conference of Parties (COP14) to United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The conservation and restoration of wetlands is important not only to ensure the availability of water but also to check the scale of degrading surrounding lands.
The wetlands restoration work in Delhi has set the standards for providing sustainable and suitable habitation for birds and also helped in protecting Delhi from flooding and improving the groundwater quality. Similarly, in the case of Hyderabad, Kudi Kunta Lake, covering 8 acres, was about to die when it was rejuvenated by the Vedic method of restoration. Likewise, in the year 2020, Jheelwala Park in New Delhi was also rejuvenated with a similar approach. Although it is a very new concept of wetlands restoration there are significant progress and successful case studies in India. To discuss and understand this concept further, the Centre for Environment, Energy, and Climate Change, at the Asian Development Research Institute (CEECC, ADRI) is organizing a ‘Special Lecture’ session virtually.
The objectives of this lecture are as follows:
Understanding the alternative methods of wetlands restoration with special reference to wetlands in Bihar.
Introducing a low-budget and sustainable approach to wetlands conservation for Bihar.
Participants included
Key officials from Wetland Authority and Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of Bihar, researchers, and grassroots practitioners to understand the alternative method of wetlands restoration with special reference to wetlands in Bihar.
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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/vaidicsrijan/message
Wetlands are amongst the most productive ecosystems on the earth. However, they are also ecologically sensitive and adaptive systems. Wetlands exhibit enormous diversity according to the genesis, geographical location, water regime and chemistry, and soil and sediment characteristics. Wetlands sustain all life forms and perform useful functions in the maintenance of ecological balance and the interface between land and water systems.
Patna (Bihar), being highly populous and one of the fastest-growing cities in India has been transforming persistently in the last couple of decades due to urbanization. Interestingly, wetlands have been observed to have shrunk significantly. The area of water bodies comprising ponds, lakes, and canals have almost halved from 1.26 km2 to 0.611 km2 between 1989 to 2014. In recent years, the Government of India and Bihar have taken note of the degradation of wetlands in various parts of the country. In this regard, about 15 wetlands in India, including Kabartal Lake in Begusarai have been recognized as wetlands of international importance by Ramsar Convention in recent years. Additionally, the Bihar State Wetland Authority has been established in 2019.
The steps taken by the Government in recent years show their seriousness towards the importance of wetlands and their conservation. In the recent virtual seminar on ‘Vulnerabilities of wetlands and its impact on climate change’, the Principal Secretary, Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of Bihar, emphasized the future need for developing an action plan for wetlands conservation and restoration in Bihar’s context. In September 2019, the Government of India announced a comprehensive scheme of the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA), which is aimed to conserve and restore 130 identified wetlands and lakes at the 14th Conference of Parties (COP14) to United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The conservation and restoration of wetlands is important not only to ensure the availability of water but also to check the scale of degrading surrounding lands.
The wetlands restoration work in Delhi has set the standards for providing sustainable and suitable habitation for birds and also helped in protecting Delhi from flooding and improving the groundwater quality. Similarly, in the case of Hyderabad, Kudi Kunta Lake, covering 8 acres, was about to die when it was rejuvenated by the Vedic method of restoration. Likewise, in the year 2020, Jheelwala Park in New Delhi was also rejuvenated with a similar approach. Although it is a very new concept of wetlands restoration there are significant progress and successful case studies in India. To discuss and understand this concept further, the Centre for Environment, Energy, and Climate Change, at the Asian Development Research Institute (CEECC, ADRI) is organizing a ‘Special Lecture’ session virtually.
The objectives of this lecture are as follows:
Understanding the alternative methods of wetlands restoration with special reference to wetlands in Bihar.
Introducing a low-budget and sustainable approach to wetlands conservation for Bihar.
Participants included
Key officials from Wetland Authority and Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of Bihar, researchers, and grassroots practitioners to understand the alternative method of wetlands restoration with special reference to wetlands in Bihar.
---
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/vaidicsrijan/message
52 min