WETLANDS AS A NATIONAL PUBLIC GOOD

NEWS: Wetlands should be treated as a national public good, not as vacant land or real estate reserves. They are essential for water security, flood control, biodiversity

World Wetlands Day 2026

• Observed on February 2
• Theme: “Wetlands and traditional knowledge: Celebrating cultural heritage”
• Highly relevant to India because: Wetlands are ecology + economy + culture

Indian Examples of Traditional Knowledge

• Tamil Nadu: Tank systems (kulams) in cascading irrigation networks
• Wayanad (Kerala): Kenis (shallow wells) for water & rituals
• Srikakulam (Andhra Pradesh): Wetland-based traditional fishing

Wetlands: Threatened

• ~40% of India’s wetlands lost in the last 30 years
• ~50% of remaining wetlands degraded

Policy & Legal Framework

• Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017: Identification, notification & regulation of activities
• National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA): Integrated conservation of wetlands & lakes
• Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ): Protection of coastal wetlands & mangroves
• Ramsar Convention: India has 98 Ramsar sites

Challenges

• Encroachment & Land Conversion: Infrastructure, roads, real estate
• Hydrological Disruption: Dams, embankments, sand mining
• Pollution & Eutrophication: Untreated sewage, industrial effluents
• State wetland authorities: Understaffed, underfunded

Solutions Suggested

• Publicly accessible wetland maps
• Participatory demarcation
• Constructed wetlands can complement, not replace STPs
• Mangroves & floodplains = nature-based infrastructure
• National mission for wetland managers
• Skills: hydrology, GIS, restoration ecology, environmental law
• Link NPCA funding to measurable outcomes