NMCG lays emphasis on conservation of wetlands

A three-day-long seminar emphasizing the conservation of wetlands in the country was concluded in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The event, orgsed by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and World Wide Fund (WWF) India, was virtually joined by several experts and environmentalists. They delivered viewpoints on the rejuvenation of wetlands in the country.

The Executive Director (Finance) at NMCG Rozy Aggarwal said, "Wetlands act as a lung to the rivers and the ecology of the river ecosystems, but in the past because of rapid development these wetlands are shrinking. So, the world should focus on the need for conserving the wetlands and keeping them alive and restored for maintaining the health of the river and the ecology".

Aggarwal further said that the task of restoring the wetlands cannot be done alone by NMCG even though it is a very important activity in the mandate of NMCG.

"We are partnering with various stakeholders including WWF India, school of architecture and planning in Delhi, India water foundation and other bodies like INTACT, which are helping us to develop a plan for wetlands restoration and management," she added.

Addressing the event, the Director-General of NMCG Rajiv Ranjan Mishra said, "This is not just a celebration but a call for action to conserve wetlands and that is why we have orgsed capacity building workshops for wetland conservation."

Mishra also shared that a futuristic guideline for monitoring of Ramsar sites and wetlands through Wildlife Institute of India and support of MoEFCC is being developed.

Minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat who joined the event on Tuesday said, "Namami Gange is the first of its kind program where Wetland Conservation is integrated with Basin Management Plan."

He added, "The innovative work done by NMCG for wetland conservation linked to River Rejuvenation would help the entire country as a model framework".

He said that all stakeholders have to act as custodians of the environment for creating a sustainable future.

The event was inaugurated by the Minister of State (MoS) for Jal Shakti, Rattan Lal Kataria.

Earlier, the event witnessed several key aspects associated with Wetlands conservation and a book was also launched related to Wetlands Guidelines for local stakeholders.

On the occasion of Wetland Day on Tuesday, a massive scientific and community-based program to develop Health cards and management of 10 wetlands in each of the 50 plus Ganga districts was launched.

Wetlands have a significant influence on the hydrological cycle. It contributes to water flows underground and in rivers.

NMCG has been working on an extensive plan to rejuvenate and keep rivers clean in the country.

( With inputs from ANI )