India adds 3 more Ramsar wetlands, taking total to 85

India has added three more Ramsar sites to the network, taking the tally to 85. Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary and Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu and Tawa Reservoir of Madhya Pradesh have been added to the list of India’s Ramsar sites.Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupendra Yadav has said this achievement reflects the emphasis that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid on establishing harmony with nature.
With this addition, the area of Ramsar sites touched to 1358067.757 ha in the country. The three new sites included are Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary and Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu and Tawa Reservoir in Madhya Pradesh. These new designated sites are a testament to the significant policy push from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for wetlands conservation and management in the country.

The Nanjarayan lake a large shallow wetland situated along the north-eastern region of Uthukuli Taluk of Tiruppur District in Tamil Nadu. The wetlands in this region depend mainly on weather conditions, especially on heavy rain water flow from Nallar drainage. Nanjarayan Lake is located on the Tiruppur -Uthukkuli main road about 10 km north of Tiruppur city in an area of 125.865 Ha near Sarkar Periyapalayam village in Tiruppur district. The lake falls under two villages (Sarkar Periyapalayam and Neruperichal). The lake got its name from the fact that it was repaired and restored by King Nanjarayan who was ruling the region many centuries ago.

The Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary covering an area of 5151.6 ha was declared as the 16th bird sanctuary in Tamil Nadu in the year 2021. It is a brackish shallow lake located on the Coromandel Coast in Villupuram district, North of Pondicherry. The lake is connected to the Bay of Bengal by the brackish Uppukalli creek and the Edayanthittu Estuary. Kazhuveli is one of the significant and biodiversity rich wetlands. The lake is one of the largest wetlands in peninsular India. The lake can be divided into three parts based on the water features viz., the estuarine part with brackish water, the Uppukali creek feeding the sea water and the Kazuveli basin with fresh water. The Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary lies in the Central Asian Flyway and is an important stopover site for migratory species of birds and breeding ground for resident species of birds, breeding ground for fish and serves as a major recharge source for the aquifers.

The Tawa Reservoir has been constructed at the confluence of the Tawa and Denwa rivers. River Malani, Sonbhadra, and Nagdwari are the major tributaries of Tawa reservoir. Tawa River, a left bank tributary originates from Mahadeo hills in Chhindwara district, flows through Betul district and joins river Narmada in Narmadapuram district. It is the longest tributary of river Narmada (172 Km). Tawa Reservoir is situated near Itarsi town. The reservoir was built mainly for irrigation purpose. Although later on it is also being used for power generation and aquaculture. The total submergence area of Tawa reservoir is 20,050 hectares. The total catchment area of the reservoir is 598,290 hectares.Tawa reservoir comes under the administrative control of Forest department, district Narmadapuram. The reservoir is located inside the Satpura Tiger Reserve and forms the western boundary of the Satpura National Park and Bori Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh.
India is one of the Contracting Parties to Ramsar Convention, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971. India became a signatory to the convention on 1st February 1982. During 1982 to 2013, a total of 26 sites were added to the list of Ramsar sites, however, during 2014 to 2024, the country has added 59 new wetlands to the list of Ramsar sites. Currently, Tamil Nadu harbours maximum number of Ramsar Sites (18 sites) followed by Uttar Pradesh (10 sites).