THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM
Principal Investigator Prof. S. P. Bansal
Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi University, Rewari
Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Prashant K. Gautam
Director, UIHTM, Panjab University, Chandigarh Paper Coordinator Prof. Manoj Dixit
Vice Chancellor, R.M.L. University, Faizabad, UP Content Writer Dr. Shyju P.J.
Asstt. Prof-Tourism Management, Department of History of Art, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.
Content Reviewer Prof. S. P. Bansal
Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi University, Rewari Paper 10: Tourism Products of India
Module 37: Major Wetlands and Ramsar Sites of India
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Learning Outcome
2. Wetlands
2.1 How wetlands are formed 2.2 Classification of Wetlands 2.3 Importance of wetlands 3.0 Wetlands of India 4.0 Ramsar Convention
4.1 Important Ramsar Sites in India
5.0 Major ecological challenges for wetlands 6.0 Summary
ITEMS DESCRIPTION OF MODULE Subject Name Tourism and Hotel Management Paper Name Tourism Products of India
Module Title Major Wetlands and Ramsar Sites of India
Module Id 37
Pre- Requisites Elementary knowledge of Geography, wetlands systems Objectives i) to give the basic knowledge wetlands systems and
their importance
ii) To know more about the Ramsar sites of India
Keywords Eco system Wetlands, lakes, mangroves and swamps, Ramsar sites
QUADRANT-I 1. Learning Outcomes
This module is aimed at orienting the students about the wetlands ecosystem in India.
Students would be able to understand the formation of wetland systems and its importance; as a water recharging mechanism as well as contributions to the ecosystem, its classifications, and distribution of wetlands of India according to the National Wetlands Atlas of India, prepared by Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. This module also contains insights on Ramsar Convention and its listing on India. A glance of important wetland systems are discussed at the end to have a better understanding of the selected sites.
2.0 Wetlands
Wetlands are the areas where the surface of the soil is covered by water all through the year or varying according to natural features. Hydrology largely defines the ecosystem present in a wetland and other factors are kind of plant species and aquatic life being present or grow over a period of time. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines wetland as land or areas that are covered often intermittently with shallow water or have soil saturated with moisture. Water bodies, natural or artificial, static or flowing, fresh water or brackish water can be treated as wet lands. Terms often used to indicate wetlands are bog, fen, marsh, marshland, mire, moor, morass, muskeg, slough (also slew or sl ue),swamp land, wash, swamp etc.
2.1 How wetlands are formed?
Wetlands are formed naturally or artificially. Depressions, slopes of the valleys, riverine areas, high tide areas which leads to the formation of lagoons, flood zones etc.
Construction of dams also leads to the formation of wetlands. Stagnation of water over a period of time lead the development of hydrological system, which become a habitat for birds, micro-organism and the initiation of a sophisticated ecological system.
2.2 Classification of Wetlands
Cowardian et. al. (1979) classified wetlands based on its association with hydrological, ecological, and geological aspects. They are marine (deltas, tidal marshes, mangroves and
swamps) lacustarine (lakes) and riverine (rivers and streams). Wetlands vary according to the genesis. Ramsar Convention held at Iran classified wetlands in to 42 categories.
For the current study we can broadly classify it in t the following manner.
Inland Depressions Fen Wet meadows Mud flats
Swamps mire Fresh water/brackish
water lakes
Peat bogs
Coastal/Inland Lagoons High tidal areas
Mangrove swamps Coral reefs
Estuaries Marshes Shallow seas Deltas
World Wide Fund of Nature (WWF) classifies wetlands in to marine, estuarine and riverine. Ramsar Convention classifies the wetland system in to
marine (coastal wetlands including coastal lagoons, rocky shores, seagrass beds and coral reefs);
estuarine (including deltas, tidal marshes and mudflats, and mangrove swamps);
lacustrine (wetlands associated with lakes);
riverine (wetlands along rivers and streams);
palustrine (meaning “marshy” – marshes, swamps and bogs).
Wetlands are the home to rich bio-diversity. According to WWF, wetlands can be as small as a pond to large lakes. Coastal wetlands are called Pocosins in Southern United
States.
Eg. Pantanal-the largest wetland in the world situated in Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay in South American continent. During the raining period majority of the area is submerged under water.
Images of Pantanal Wetlands System, South America (Source: Google) 2.3 Importance of Wetlands:
Wetlands represent a complex ecosystem. The wetlands are the home for various kinds of aquatic life and breeding ground for several species of birds. Tidal wetlands act as a buffer zone which restricts the high tide movement to the shore.
Further it leads to the creation of back waters.
It helps in flood control: Wetlands absorbs the water rise like a soak pit.
Wetlands found near the estuaries and riverine areas intern help the water to be retained and act as a natural mechanism of flood control. One of the main reasons of flooding in many cities are filling up of wetlands.
Wetlands also support the ground water level recharged as it can absorb the rain water run-off. In many places in India we find the water table (Ground water level are depleting at a high level). Wetlands have the capacity to rejuvenate the ground water sources.
Wetlands are examples of a highly fragile ecosystem but it supports a variety of aquatic and terrestrial species.
Erosion control: Wetlands helps the growth of several plants such as mangroves.
Mangroves are found to be one of the best alternative for soil erosion at the riverine areas. The deep rooted plants create a natural fence which control even the strike of tides, and balances the water levels.
Commercial fisheries: Wetlands ecosystem acts as a breeding ground for various kinds of fishes. Artificial lakes are also used as fish farms. Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam are known for commercial fish farms. Other aquatic products such as seeds, flowers, roots are used widely for various purposes like medicines and food items. Several thousand people depend these resources for their livelihood.
Wetlands & Tourism: Wetlands are one of the main tourist resource for many countries. Kerala aggressively promoted its backwaters as a unique tourist attraction of India. The natural beauty along the lakeside are utilized by resort groups and these resorts attract foreign tourists and Indian tourists alike.
Thousands of house boats move around the back waters of Kerala with tourists during the season. Dal Lake in Srinagar is a classical example, where the enchanting beauty of the lakes, surrounding snow clad mountains and the house boats provide a very exciting experience for the tourists.
3.0 Wetlands of India
India is blessed with abundant natural resources. Major rivers (east flowing and west flowing), numerous streams and huge number of small ponds to large lakes dot the natural resource map of India. Wetlands in India consist of the water bodies formed by rivers, lakes, estuaries, deltas, etc. The following table gives an example of different sources of the wetlands and its features.
Mangroves map of India
Source: Google
115 identified wetlands in different states under National Wetland Conservation Programme (NWCP) which functions under Ministry of Environment and Forest. (Check the enclosed list). The following table illustrates the lagoons which are also part of the wetlands.
Coastal lagoons in the east Coastal lagoons in the west Chilka, Pulicat, Pennar, Bendi,
Nizampatnam,
Muttukad, Muthupet and Gulf of Mannar
Vembanad, Ashtamudi, Paravur, Ettikulum, Veli, Murikumpuzha, Talapady, Lagoons of Bombay coast, Lakshadweep Islands.
Inventory of wetlands have been prepared by Ministry of Environment and Forest in the year 1992-93 with the help of ISRO. The project used the definition of Ramsar Convention to classify and list the wetlands. Another detailed study was taken up in 2007, which mapped and listed the important wetlands of India. Based on this mapping, specific features of wetlands according to state wise is listed herewith.
Arunachal Pradesh
There are 1534 wetlands identified through the mapping. It consists of 1.05% of the total geographic area of the state. In general we can say the wetlands of Arunachal Pradesh include river streams, high altitude, and water logged. The following lakes are considered to be of important wetlands of the state.
Ganga Lake, Itanagar
Madhuri Lake
Nagula Lake
Pangateng Lake Assam
The satellite image demonstrates a large number of water bodies in the state. It consists of 9.74% of the total geographic area of the state. River/stream wetlands account for around 84% of the wetland system of Assam. There are 3513 recognized wetlands in total and a number of ponds small and big in size owned by fisheries farmers. The following tanks are also considered important in addition to the identified wetlands in the state.
Community fishing in the wetlands/rivulets in Assam (Image source: Assam Tourism) Bihar
Satellite data shows that there are 21998 wetlands in Bihar, out of these, 4416 wetlands are the major ones. The major wetland types are river/stream which is accounted for 74%
of the wetlands. Begusarai, Katihar and Saharsa have the largest area wetlands. Makhana
and foxnut cultivation found along the wetlands area. The confluence of rivers and a large number of streams contribute to the wetland system.
Major river confluences:
Saryu at Doriganj (Saran Dt)
Gandak at Hajipur-Sonepur in Vaishali/Saran district
Kosi at Kursela (Kathihar dt)
Approximately 60% of Gangetic dolphins are found at the riverine area of Bihar.
Chhattisgarh
7711 major wetlands have been listed in the mapping process. 2.5% of the total geographical area is under wetlands in Chhattisgarh.
Gujarat
The satellite data shows that 14183 wetlands in the state. It accounts for 17.56% of the total geographic area. The major types of wetlands found here are inter-tidal mud flat, river/stream, river/barrage, creek, salt marsh etc.
Haryana
There are 1441 major wetlands in Haryana. Total area under wetlands consists of 0.86%
of the geographic area. Major wetlands comes under the category of river/stream, tank/pond or waterlogged and reservoir and barrages. Panchkula has the highest concentration of wetlands, followed by Yamunanagar and Karnal.
Himachal Pradesh
170 major wetlands have been mapped by the survey. It comes around 1.77% of the total area. There are 42 high altitude lakes, 171 reservoirs. Chandratal (lake) is situated at 4250 meters above sea level, which is also one of the prominent tourist attractions.
Jammu & Kashmir
1411 major wetland types have been identified in Jammu and Kashmir. There are many high altitude wetlands in the state and majority of them are found in Leh. Natural wetlands dominate the in the state. Jammu and Kashmir has a large number of wetlands which are both snow fed and rain fed. The following list include are some of the important wetlands which are not listed in the previous list.
Manibugh wetlands; Pampore area of J & K, many movies shot on its background.
Anchar Lake: natural lake formed from Dal Lake.
Narkara Wetlands: fed from Dudhganga river.
Jharkhand
2463 wetlands have been identified in Jharkhand, which covers an area of 2.1% of the total area. Major wetland types are river/stream and reservoir and barrage.
Karnataka
11412 major wetlands have been identified in Karnataka. Inland wetlands consisted of 97% of wetlands, out of these 68% is manmade. The major wetland types are tanks, ponds followed by reservoir/barrage or rivers and streams. Tumkur district has registered the highest number of wetlands.
Kerala
Kerala is bestowed with a number of rivers and lakes. There are 41 west flowing rivers and 3 east flowing rivers, 3 major lakes and several lagoons connected with backwaters.
There are 1762 major wetlands which are constituted by riverine areas, lagoons, estuaries and waterlogged etc. Eg: The following rivers Chandragiripuzha, Valapatanampusha Kadalundipuzha, Periyar, Poovar etc. The estuaries and the deltas are home for different species of birds and aqua life. The coast of Ernakulam district is having a unique soil combination, i.e. black soil which is found beneficial for particular rice cultivation, found only in this place in India. The backwater stretch of Kerala attracts lot of foreign tourists. Considering the importance of this region responsible tourism initiative have been taken and proved successful in Kumarakom.
Houseboats with tourists roam around the backwater stretches and it.
Backwaters of Kerala (Image source: Google)
Madhya Pradesh
17666 wetlands have been mapped in M.P. major types of wetland include reservoir or barrage, river/ stream, tank/pond etc.
Maharashtra
23046 wetlands have been mapped, which consists of 3.3% of total geographic area of the state. Major wetland types include reservoir/barrage, tank/pond, river/stream, creek and mangrove etc.
Manipur
167 wetlands have been listed. It covers a total area of 2.85% of the total geographic area.
Wetland types include lake/pond, river/stream, water logged etc.
Loktak Lake, Manipur (Image Source: Google) Meghalaya
There are 259 wetlands. This include rivers/stream, reservoir and barrages.
Mizoram
82 major wetland shave been listed.
Nagaland
267 small wetlands have been identified during the mapping Odisha
12266 major wetlands have been listed in the state. Inland wetlands dominate coastal wetlands. Major wetland types include river/stream, reservoir/barrage/tank pond and lagoon etc. Puri district has the highest inland wetlands and open water sources.
Migratory birds at Chilka Lake (Image Source:
Odisha Tourism, Google)
Puducherry
259 wetlands have been identified in Puducherry. Major wetlands area include river/stream, lake/pond, followed by tank/ponds.
Punjab
1381 major wetlands have been listed. Total wetland area comes under 1.71% of the total geographic area. It includes water logged areas, ox-bow lakes, riverine areas etc.
Rajasthan
12625 major wetlands have been listed in the survey. It covers an area of 2.29% of the total geographical area. It include river/stream, reservoir/barrage etc.
Sikkim
There are 272 major wetlands in Sikkim which covers a geographical area of 1.05% of the total area. 40.79% of the wetlands include high altitude lakes, others are rivers/streams, lake/ponds/etc. 10 wetlands are situated 3000-4000 meters above sea level.
Tamil Nadu
18294 major wetlands are marked in Tamil Nadu. Major wetlands include lake/pond, tank/pond, river/stream mangrove and coral reef etc. 83% of the total wetland area are in open category. Ramanathapuram district in Tamil Nadu has the largest area of wetlands in Tamil Nadu.
Telangana
The major wetland types in Telangana are reservoirs, lakes, tanks and riverine areas.
Nizamabad district has the highest geographical share of the wetlands due to the reservoirs Nizam Sagar and Sri Ram Sagar irrigation project and river Godavari and its banks.
Tripura
It has 432 major wetlands. Inland wetlands dominate the coastal wetlands. Major types include rivers/stream, lakes/ponds etc.
Uttar Pradesh
28390 major wetland areas have been identified in the state. It consists of 5.16% of the total geographical space. 74% of the wetlands are natural wetlands. Major wetland types include river/stream, pond etc. Sonbhadra district in Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of wetlands in the state.
Uttarakhand
994 wetlands have been marked in the survey. The total area under wetlands is less than 2%.
West Bengal
Total area under wetlands is approximately 12.5% of the total geographical area. Total number of wetlands mapped is 147826. Inland wetlands dominate the coastal wetlands in this state. Major wetland types are river/stream, mangroves, lakes/ponds, water logged, and reservoir/barrage etc. South 24 Parganas have the highest number of wetlands.
Map of the Sundarbans Delta (Source: Google)
4.0 RAMSAR CONVENTION
Convention on Wetlands of International Importance was held at Ramsar (Iran) in the year 1971. Delegates of 18 nations attended this convention to discuss the importance of wetlands and its preservation. This convention framed guidelines to select wetlands of
wetlands of international importance on the basis of botanical, zoological, hydrological criterion. There are 169 contracting parties to this convention at present with 2266 sites across the world. India became a contracting party in 1981 and declared Chilka Lake and Keoladeo Ghana National Park as the first two Ramsar sites of India. Wular Lake (Jammu and Kashmir), Harike Lake (Haryana), Sambhar Lake (Rajasthan) and Loktak Lake (Manipur) were added later in 1990. The convention proposed the wise utilisation of wetlands for the benefit of mankind in a sustainable manner. The second International Conference on Wetlands and Development took place in Senegal in 1988, known as Dakar Wetlands Conference. There are nine criterion to be fulfilled to select a site as Ramsar Site. February 02 is celebrated worldwide as International Wetlands Day.
The Montreux Record: The list of Wetlands of International Importance (which are changes in ecological character are observed, occurring or likely to occur as a result of the technological changes or human interface.
4.1 Wetlands and tourism- A Brief Study
Chilka Lake: Chilka Lake is the largest lake situated in Odisha. It is originally a lagoon large salt water body surrounded by land separated from sea. The main body of the lake is a narrow channel of approximately 35 km long, lying parallel to Bay of Bengal. The lake opens to the sea in Arakhuda village. The water level increases during monsoon season and during summers it becomes a shallow lake. River Daya, tributary of Mahanadi discharges its water along with other minor tributaries in to the lake. Various researches indicate that siltation process and soil erosion badly affects the survival of the lake. The geographical area of the lake is shrinked over a period of time. It is visited by hundreds of migratory birds every year and serves as an important ecosystem which supports people, and other creatures. Chilka is an identified ecotourism spot in the State. Most of the tourists visit Chilka Lake to experience the sprawling backwaters, see Dolphins and enjoy the natural beauty.
Tsongmo/Changu Lake: It is an oval shaped glacial lake located 40 k.m. away from Gangtok at an elevation of 3753 m. above sea level. The lake is covered with mountains covered with snow during the winter season. This lake is situated on the way to Nathu La, India China border. Tourists make a temporary halt at this place to have
a photo session. This lake is treated with great reverence by Sikkimese People.
Changu Lake (source:
Author)
Dal Lake : It is also called as the jewel in the crown of Kashmir due to its importance in tourism. Situated in Srinagar, this lake is historically important as well as the Mughal emperors constructed the gardens (Shalimar Bagh and Nishant Bagh) on its banks.
Colourful shikaras cruising the lake, house boats, floating gardens and the surrounding mountains attract large number of tourists to Srinagar. It is a natural wetland spread over an area of around 21.1 k.m. It is estimated that around 50000 plus people live in the islands and hamlets inside the lake. Excessive siltation, hydrological changes and increased pollution levels have degraded the ecosystem of the lake. Studies show that the area of the Dal Lake, has reduced from 2547 hectares to 1620 hectares (2008) over a period of time and the water quality had deteriorated badly.
Naninital: A natural fresh water body located in the mid of the town Naini attracts thousands of visitors every year. It is a bean shaped lake surrounded by hills. The lake is affected by the pressure of excessive tourism activities and mushrooming up of buildings.
Other problems include siltation, landslides and clogging of water channels.
Sundarbans: Situated on the southern part of the state of West Bengal and Bangaldesh, Sundarbans is one of the largest deltas in India. This delta is created by the rivers Brahmaputra, Meghna, Ganga and Padma. It is the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world. IT has an area of around 10000 sq. k.m. The delta boasts a number of ecological features as mangrove forest, bird sanctuary and also homes Royal Bengal Tiger. Approximately 1700 sq. km of Sundarbans in India is occupied by creeks, canals, streams etc. it fosters a vibrant and fragile ecosystem that supports a variety of flora and fauna. Increasing population, shrinking of the delta due to erosions and silt
along with high levels of exploitation of natural resource cause serious damage to the eco system of Sundarbans.
Keoladeo National Park: Keoladeo National Park formerly known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is one of the best known site in India to see migrant birds. It is a manmade and man managed wetland cum grass land which hosts thousands of birds in winter season. It is locally known as Ghana, with an area of 29 sq. k.m. This park was used as a waterfowl hunting ground by the Maharajas of Jaipur. This wetland area was declared as a Ramsar site in 1981 and a National Park in 1982. The principal vegetation sources are deciduous mixed with grass. This site is also listed by UNESCO as Natural Heritage Site.
Two major lakes of Kerala
Sastamkotta Lake: Named after the ancient Sastha temple, this lake is the largest freshwater lake in Kerala providing drinking water facility to thousands of people. This lake is designated as a Ramsar Site in 2002. It has a surface area of 373 hectares. During the last few years it is found that the lake area has been shrinking and the embankments and the lake bed are dried up during the summer seasons.
Vembanad Lake: It is spread over Ernakulam, Kottayam, and Alappuzha districts of Kerala. The lake is fed by several rivers, has a length of approximately 95 km. starting from Ernakulam to Alappuzha. There are several Islands in the lake which are occupied by people. Arabian Sea and Vembanad lake is separated by a narrow sand bund and the most interesting factor is at some place the lake is below sea level. These lake stretch is also called as the back waters. The backwater stretch is used as a major tourism attraction o Kerala as the houseboats (boats designed with luxurious accommodation facilities) and the scenic beauty of the backwaters. Pathiramanal Island situated in the lake is a bird sanctuary.
Vedantangal: Vedantangal sanctuary is situated in the district of Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu. During the migration season, thousands of birds (including rare species of birds) from different parts of the country. It is one of the oldest water bird sanctuary in India. In an area of 30 hectares, this wetland is dotted with several small islands surrounded by lakes.
Pulicat Lake: It is the second largest brackish water lagoon after Chilka Lake situated in the borders of Anddhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Sriharikota Island separates this
wetland from Bay of Bengal. Arani River and Kalangi River drains to this lake and this lake controls the flood situation during monsoons. Large number of fisherman depend Pulicat Lake for their livelihood.
Lakes/Water bodies Features
Pangong Lake, Ladakh Brakish waters, nestled in the trans Himalayan ranges, contains brackish waters
Wullar Lake and Dal Lake
Kashmir Valley, supported by river system
Gangabal Lake Glacial lake
Sambhar Lake,
Rajasthan
Salt water lake
Sukhna Lake,
Chandigarh
A lake rejuvenated with the help and support of local people and administration
Fateh Sagar Lake, Rajasthan
Bhopal Lake, Madhya Pradesh
Hussain Sagar Lake, Telangana
Examples of lake front development, beautification. Popular tourist attractions
Chilka Lake, Odisha Largest lake in India. Iravadi Dolphins are found here.
Backwaters of Kerala Lakes connected with canals and channels promoted as the tourist attraction.
Sunderban The delta created by River Ganga is one of the best example of the co-existence of Man and nature. People live in islets, and their main livelihood source is the forest resources available from Sunderban.
4.2 Major ecological issues and wetlands
1. Encroachments and filling: Wetlands have been the soft target for encroachments.
Several wetlands are already filled by the builders, and the real estate firms under the cover of business interest while ignoring its ecological importance.
2. Weeds. Water hyacinth and other predator weeds cover the wetlands very fast it affect the natural eco system. It is found that once these alien weeds enter in to the water body, it grows quickly and fill the available space. This further reduces the oxygen availability at the water bodies, which in turn misbalance the aquatic life.
3. Pollution: Most of the sewages are opened to the water bodies and wetlands as an easy way to address the pollution issues. Untreated sewage contaminate the water bodies and act as an agent of pollution.
4. Dumping of waste from cities and urban areas. It is found that the authorities usually find the marsh land or swamps and water bodies are the places to dump the municipal waste. The piling up of garbage and pollutants damage the ecosystem badly.
Recently Bangalore was in news. Due to excessive pollution, Bellandur Lake started generated smoke and burning. This lasted for several hours. When it rained the rain water brought toxic foams from the lake to the rad and adjacent areas. It is a shocking example of how a wetland can be polluted and the aftermath of it.
5. Lack of awareness of people. People normally ignore unless they are affected by ecological issues. Wetlands of India are in serious threats due to the ignorance of people on the purity of environment.
6. Droughts and other natural disasters. Reduced rainfalls, drought shrink the area of the wetlands. Several wetlands have already been lost its actual area due to such issues.
Human encroachments also led to the shrinkage of the area.
7. Unregulated tourism activities also cause the deterioration of wetlands. Increased use of motor boats lead to high levels of pollutions which degrade the ecosystem of the wetland. Quite often income generated from tourism over rule the ecological issues, which cause immense damage to the wetland ecosystem.
5.0 Summary
Wetlands play a vital part in our environment. Various topics covered in this module detailed the importance of protecting our wetland ecosystem. The Ministry of Environment and Forests, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development, National Green Tribunal etc. pay close attention to the natural resources of our country and time to time introduce policies, guidelines and programmes to create awareness and encouraging active involvement of local people in these activities. The wetlands serve the humanity in
multiple ways, but it doesn’t mean that we should exploit the resources, blindly. Tourism can be a sustainable way of exploring the potentials of wetlands preservation and at the same time employment and revenue source for the people.
List of Wetlands of National Importance and Ramsar Sites Sl.No Name of the
State
Wetlands of national importance under
National Wetland Conservation Programme (NWCP)
Ramsar Sites
1 Andhra Pradesh Kollerun Lake, Deepar Beel Urpad Beel, Sone Beel
Kollerun Lake
2 Assam Deepor Beel, Urpad Beel, Son Beel Deepor Beel 2 Bihar Kabar, Barilla, Kusheswar Asthan
3 Gujarat Nalsarovar, Great Rann of Kutchh Thol Bird Sanctuary
Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary Little Rann of Kutchh
Pariej, Wadhwana, Nanikakrad Sultanpur, Bhindawas
Nalsarovar
4 Himachal Pradesh
Renuka, Pong Dam
Chandratal, Rewalsar, Khajjiar
Renuka Lake Pong Dam Lake Chandratal
5 Jammu &
Kashmir
Hokersar wetlands-Srinagar, Wetlands :
Hygem wetlands
Wular Lake, Shallabugh Tsomoriri wetlands:.
Pangong Tsar, Gharana Mirgund, Chushul Hanley Tisgul Tso & Chisul Marshes
Wular Lake Tsomoriri Lake Surinsar-Mansar Lakes
Hokera Wetland
6 Jharkhand Udhwa, Tilaiya Dam
7 Karnataka Magadhi, Gadavi Bird Sanctuary Bonal, Hidkal & Ghataprabha
Heggeri, Ranganthittu, K G Koppa wetland
8 Kerala Ashtamudi, Sasthamkota
Kottuli, Kadalundi, Vembanad
Ashtamudi Lake Sasthamkota Lake
Vembanad Kol Wetland
9 Madhya Pradesh Bana, Yashwant Sagar Wetland of Ken River
Kanha Tiger Reserve, Pench Tiger Reserve
Ratapani, Ghatigaon
National Chambal Sanctuary Sakhyasagar, Dihaila, Govindsagar Sirpur, Denwa Tawa Wetland
10 Maharashtra Ujni, Jayakawadi, Nalganga Wetland
11 Manipur Loktak Wetland Loktak Lake
12 Meghalaya Umiam
13 Mizoram Tamdil, Palak
14 Odisha Chilka, Kuanria wetland
Kanjia Wetland, Daha Wetland, Anusupa
Chilka Lake Bhittarkanika Mangroves 15 Pondicherry Ousteri Wetland
16 Punjab Harike, Ropar, Kanjli Nangal
Harike Lake Ropar Kanjli
17 Rajasthan Sambhar Keoladeo
National Park , Sambhar Lake
18 Sikkim Khechuperi Holy Lake
Tamze wetland Tembao Wetland Phendang Wetland Gurudokmar Wetland Tsongmo Wetland 19 Tamil Nadu Point Calemere
Kaliveli Pallaikarni
Point Calemere
20 Tripura Rudrasagar
Gumti Reservoir
Rudrasagar Lake
21 Uttar Pradesh Nawabganj Sandi
Lakh Bahoshi Samaspur Alwara Wetland Semrari Lake Nagaria Lake Keetham Lake Shekha Wetland Saman Bird sanctuary Sarsai Nawar
Patna Bird Sanctuary Chando Wetland Tal Bhaghel Wetland
Taal Gnbhirwan & Taal Salona Aadi Jal Jeev Jheel
Upper Ganga River
(Brijghat to Narora)
22 Uttarakhand Ban Ganga Jhilmil Tal
Asan
23 West Bengal East Calcutta Wetland Sunderbans
Ahiron Beel Rasik Beel Santragachi
Patlakhawa Rasomati
East Calcutta Wetland
24 Chandigarh* Sukhna
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