Wetland Walk around Upper Lake, a Ramsar site

On the run up to the #World Wetland Day @NCHSE in partnership with Madhya Pradesh State Wetland Authority, EPCO, Department of Environment, Government of Madhya Pradesh organised a guided Wetland Walk along the northern bank of Upper Lake of Bhopal on 28th January 2024. The Upper Lake having a water spread area of 36 sq km at FTL and a catchment of 361 sq. km. is the major constituent of Bhoj Wetland, a Ramsar site. The theme of the event was “Wetlands and human wellbeing “as declared by the Ramsar Convention for World Wetland Day 2024. The Walk was led by Dr Pradip Nandi, Director General, NCHSE. The objective of the event was to sensitise citizens of all walks of lives of Bhopal about the importance of Wetlands and to enhance public connection with nature as well as to encourage residents and stakeholders to play their role in the protection and improvement of the unique ecosystem. At the outset, participants were apprised about the ecological and sociological importance of Upper lakes, the major constituent of Bhoj Wetland, declared as a Ramsar site (a Wetland of International Importance) in 2002 for having its rich biodiversity and a conservation plan in place. It was informed that the Wetlands are distinct ecosystems that are flooded or saturated by water, either permanently or seasonally for a shorter period, provide most of our freshwater needs, acts as ‘kidneys’ that regulate water and filter waste from the landscape and are reservoirs of biodiversity that are vital for humanity and nature to thrive. It was informed that BirdLife International has also declared Upper Lake as an Important Bird Area (IBA). During the Walk, participants numbering about 100 gained knowledge about the Upper Lake as an important ecological system, its biodiversity, the environmental problems it is subjected to and the government efforts for its conservation. Participants also pledged to undertake necessary actions and join hands with different stakeholders to protect and conserve wetland ecosystems, especially Bhoj Wetland, keep them healthy and to create awareness and motivate others to join hands to protect wetlands.