Lakes, Ponds and Wetlands

The satellite township of Navi Mumbai, with a total area of 344 km², was developed in 1972 by CIDCO (City and Industrial Development Corporation) to de-congest the city of Mumbai. Initially a marshy land interspersed with villages, Navi Mumbai has been developed into a planned township, with much of its marshes and freshwater wetlands being converted into urban infrastructure.

Navi Mumbai is a rapidly developing twin city. In the course of development, it was realized that more emphasis needs to be given towards the preservation and sustainable management of the freshwater wetlands it harbours. Given the vulnerability of these wetlands and their resource potential, there is an urgent need to develop a framework for sustainable use of freshwater wetlands. This requires efficient management systems and development of sustainable models, which would help maintain the natural characteristics of wetlands while also exploiting its potential to meet the socio-economic and recreational needs of communities. To tackle this important aspect, TERI conceptualized a pilot project with active support of CIDCO in October 2008. The Khandeshwar Lake was chosen as a model to demonstrate the feasibility as a ‘sustainable wetland’.

The attached presentation is an update on the work taken up and impact achieved since the start of the project, and includes details from the World Wetlands Day celebration organised on 2 February 2010. Details of TERI's wetland management program are here.

This case study is about Samerth's efforts to achieve drinking water security, in participation with local village communities in Rapar, Kachchh (Gujarat). Arghyam has been collaborating with Samerth on this effort since 2007.

The Vand Women of Kachchh: Guest post by Keya Acharya

She gazes unflinchingly with direct eyes into the camera with a feminine mystique and physique that could, be gracing the front cover of a beauty magazine. Her red, mirror-worked blouse, in the traditional Kachchhi style worn by tribal women, is strapped at the back in stringed bows, greatly practical in the dry, wilting heat of that arid expanse of land in hinterland Gujarat called Kachchh. Her skirt is a colourful hue of printed green, and her ‘dupatta’ is a blazing red piece of cloth swept forward from her waist, partially covering her back, brought over her head and tucked back demurely into her waist again. Her name is Ammi.

Guest post by Sangeeta Deogawanka

February 2nd, designated as World Wetlands Day, has quietly slipped by with isolated events that speak of the lackadaisical attitude towards this rich ecosystem.

With 67,429 wetlands covering an area of about 5.5 million hectares, [Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), 1990], the wetland systems in India are diverse, found in high altitude cold zones, the hot and humid coastal areas or occurring as scattered inland wetland systems.

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (www.cag.gov.in) is starting a performance Audit on "Pollution of ground water, lakes and rivers in India". CAG has invited citizens to point out specific problems / issue regarding water pollution affecting them or the environment.

Northeast Centre for Environmental Education and Research (NECEER), Imphal is going to organise a Worldwide Save Loktak Lake Campaign at 20 cities in 3 continents  on 7th March 2010. The campaign is an attempt to create awareness about the threats and need for conserving this natural heritage of Manipur.

The Lost Lakes of Bangalore is a project to document Bengaluru’s many tanks and lakes which have vanished with urbanization and growth. As part of this project India Water Portal is organizing a contest for schools and colleges to document this aspect of Bengaluru's history.

VIJAYAWADA: School children will be with one another to list the number of animals and plants they can recognise in a competition being held by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Forest Department at Kaikaluru on Tuesday.

The Yamuna Biodiversity Park (YBP) invites all citizens to celebrate the World Wetlands Day on the 2nd of February. This date marks the signing of the ‘Convention on Wetlands’ in 1971 at Ramsar, Iran. The 2010 Wetlands Day theme is “Caring for Wetlands – an Answer to Climate Change”. The theme highlights the fact that wetlands, with their biodiversity, can help mitigate climate change.

Bhubaneswar: World Wetlands Day is observed on 2 February every year. It marks the date of signing of the convention on wetlands on 2nd February 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. This day presents us with a welcome opportunity to join together in celebrating the benefits that we all receive from wetlands, as well as to raise the awareness of the local communities who derive their livelihood about the importance of these vital ecosystems for our common future. The Ramsar Bureau (Secretariat) took a decision to observe the World wetland day on 2nd February in 1997. Chilika Development Authority has been observing World Wetlands Day way back from 1997 i.e. from the first year of observation of WWD.

The WWD is observed by CDA in and around Chilika Lake with the active participation of local communities. For optimizing the objectives of the WWD celebration instead of observing it at Bhubaneswar it is invariably observed in and around Chilika by CDA .

Venue: Management Strategies at College of Technology, Udaipur

Contact: shiloo592003@yahoo.co.uk