India’s first wetland city is going to be Udaipur

 

What is the news?

• • The state government of Rajasthan and the Environment and Forest Department are collaborating to promote Udaipur, a city famous for its beautiful lakes, as India’s first wetland city.
    
  • The well-known “City of Lakes” in Rajasthan, Udaipur, is almost ready to become India’s first wetland city.
  • This is a big change that shows how important wetlands are for protecting the environment and building a healthy future.

 

What are wetlands?

 

• • Wetlands are places where the ground is always or sometimes wet with water. They have lakes, rivers, fens, marshes, swamps, and ports.

 

Wetlands are very important to the environment because they do many important things for the climate, like

• • Water purification: Wetlands help to filter pollutants from water, improving its quality.
  • Flood control: Wetlands act as natural sponges, absorbing excess water during floods and releasing it slowly over time.
  • Shoreline protection: Wetlands help to protect shorelines from erosion and storm surges.
  • Habitat for biodiversity: Wetlands are home to a wide variety of plants and animals, including many endangered species.

 

Is Udaipur wetland is Ramsar Site?

 

• • Udaipur is not yet a Ramsar Site, no. It is being worked on by the government of Rajasthan to become a Ramsar Site, though. The state government started the Udaipur Wetland City Project in 2021. Its goal is to make Udaipur a leader in wetland cities in India and around the world.
  • Udaipur would be the first swamp city in India to be named a Ramsar Site, which is a very important honour. With this, the state of Rajasthan and the whole country would have made a big step forward.

 

What does Ramsar Site mean?

 

• • Based on the Ramsar Convention, a Ramsar Site is a wetland area that has been named as being of international value. It is a worldwide agreement to protect and use wetlands in a way that doesn’t harm them. It has 172 member states and was signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971.

 

 

To be designated as a Ramsar Site, a wetland site must meet one or more of the following criteria:

 

• • It contains a representative, rare, or unique example of a natural or near-natural wetland type found within the appropriate biogeographic region.
  • It supports vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities.
  • It plays a significant role in regulating water regimes or supporting wetland species during their annual cycle.
  • It is an important source of food for birds.

 

 

Why is Udaipur becoming a wetland city?

 

• There are several important lakes in Udaipur. Some of them are Pichola Lake, Fateh Sagar Lake, and Swaroop Sagar Lake. These marshes are very important to the economy and ecosystem of the city.
• The government of Rajasthan is trying to protect and restore the wetlands around Udaipur. The state government started the Udaipur Wetland City Project in 2021. Its goal is to make Udaipur a leader in wetland cities in India and around the world.

 

Benefits of becoming a wetland city:

 

To become a wetland city, many good things happen. Some of these are:

• • More people are aware of how important it is to protect wetlands.
  • Wetlands are better protected from building and other threats.
  • More money has been put into projects to restore and protect wetlands.
  • Better economic possibilities for local communities through long-term activities in wetlands.
  • Better ability to handle climate change and extreme weather.

 

Adding Udaipur to the National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP):

 

• • A scheme run by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India, called the National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP), was created in 2001.
  • By making the lakes’ water better, increasing their biodiversity and ecological functions, and encouraging long-term use, the plan wants to protect and restore the country’s lakes.
  • Udaipur is one of the places that the NLCP refers to. There are several lakes in the city, such as Pichola Lake, Fateh Sagar Lake, and Swaroop Sagar Lake. These lakes are good for the city’s economies and the environment.

 

As part of the NLCP, several steps have been taken to protect and repair Udaipur’s lakes. Among these steps are:

 

• • Building water treatment plants to clean up the lakes and make them less polluted.
  • Desilting the pools will get rid of the silt that has built up and make the water better.
  • Putting down trees and bushes along the edges of lakes to stop erosion and make the water better.
  • Putting together eco-friendly tourist spots around the lakes.
  • Because of these steps, the lakes of Udaipur now have much better water quality and a wider range of plants and animals. A lot more tourists are visiting the lakes now, which is good for the city’s business.
  • It is possible to repair and protect lakes even in cities, as shown by the success of the NLCP in Udaipur. Other Indian towns and cities around the world look to this city as an example of how to protect their lakes.

 

Here are some of the exact ways that the NLCP has helped people in Udaipur:

 

• • A better quality of water has made the lakes of Udaipur cleaner and healthier than ever. This has helped the people who live in the city, the guests, and the aquatic life.
  • Greater biodiversity: There are now more kinds of plants and animals living in the lakes of Udaipur. This has made the lakes more appealing to tourists and better for the environment.
  • This has made the city’s business stronger because more tourists are visiting the lakes of Udaipur. Locals also get work and money from the lakes because people visit and fish, among other things.
  • It was the NLCP’s work that helped restore and protect the lakes of Udaipur. It is possible to protect and preserve lakes even in cities, as shown by the success of the plan in Udaipur.

 

 

QuizTime:

 

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of becoming a wetland city?

 

(a) Increased awareness of the importance of wetlands and their conservation.

(b) Improved protection for wetlands from development and other threats.

(c) Increased investment in wetland restoration and conservation projects.

(d) Increased deforestation.

 

• • Answer is D

 

Which of the following is a criterion for designating a wetland site as a Ramsar Site?

 

(a) It contains a representative, rare, or unique example of a natural or near-natural wetland type found within the appropriate biogeographic region.

(b) It supports vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities.

(c) It plays a significant role in regulating water regimes or supporting wetland species during their annual cycle.

(d) All of the above.

• • Answer is D

 

Mains Question:

 

Explain in detail about Udaipur Wetland. What are the Important components of Udaipur Wetland.What is the Importance of Udaipur Wetland.Challenges facing Udaipur Wetland. How The Rajasthan government is working to address the challenges facing Udaipur Wetland and conserve it for future generations.

 

Model Answer is:

• • The Udaipur Wetland is a group of lakes and wetlands that are all linked to each other. It is in the city of Udaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It’s home to many threatened plant and animal species as well as a lot of different kinds of plants and animals.
  • The wetland is also important for the city’s economy because it brings in money and work for the area through fishing, tourism, and other activities.
  • The Udaipur Wetland is having a hard time because of waste, people moving into it, and climate change. But the government of Rajasthan is trying to fix these problems and protect the wetland for future generations.

 

Important parts of the Udaipur Wetland:

• • Pichola Lake: There are palaces and temples all around Pichola Lake, which is the biggest lake in Udaipur. A lot of people like to visit the lake, which is also used for fishing and watering crops.
  • Fateh Sagar Lake: Another popular place for tourists to visit in Udaipur is Fateh Sagar Lake. Islands in the lake are home to many things, such as the zoo and botanical park on Nehru Island.
  • Swaroop Sagar Lake: These are two smaller lakes, one to the east of Pichola Lake and one to the west. People visit the lake to watch birds, and it is also used for fishing and watering crops.

 

Biodiversity of Udaipur Wetland:

 

Much of the plant and animal life in the Udaipur Wetland is different. Here are some of the most interesting species:

 

• • Lots of different plants, like water hyacinth, grasses, reeds, and lotus.
  • Fish, turtles, alligators, birds, and mammals are the animals.
  • Birds that migrate use the marsh as a place to rest and eat during their yearly journey, so it is also important for them.

 

Importance of Udaipur Wetland:

 

The Udaipur Wetland is important for many reasons, such as:

 

• • Conservation: The wetland is home to many kinds of plants and animals, some of which are in danger of going extinct.
  • Economy: The wetland gives people in the area work and money through fishing, tourism, and other activities.
  • Quality of the water: The wetland helps clean the water by filtering out pollutants.
  • Flood control: The wetland acts as a natural sponge, absorbing excess water during floods and releasing it slowly over time.
  • Shoreline protection: The marsh helps keep the shoreline safe from erosion and high tides.

 

Challenges facing Udaipur Wetland:

The Udaipur Wetland is facing a number of challenges, including:

 

• • Pollution: The wetland is polluted from sewage and agricultural runoff.
  • Encroachment: The wetland is being encroached upon for development projects.
  • Climate change: Climate change is impacting the wetland by reducing rainfall and increasing temperatures.

 

Conservation efforts:

The government of Rajasthan is trying to protect Udaipur Wetland for future generations and deal with the problems it is facing. The following are some of the protection efforts:

 

• • Controlling pollution: The government is building sewage treatment plants and taking other steps to clean up the swamp and lower this pollution.
  • Encroachment prevention: The government is making and enforcing rules to stop people from getting into the wetland.
  • Adapting to climate change: The government is trying to make the wetland more climate-friendly by planting trees and fixing up areas that have been damaged by the weather.
  • The conservation of Udaipur Wetland is essential for protecting the city’s biodiversity and economy. It is also important for mitigating the impacts of climate change and building a more resilient future.

 

 

How this topic is important for Exam?

 

A key topic for UPSC training is how Udaipur has grown into a wetland city. The following things about wetlands should be known by candidates:

 

• • How important wetlands are for protecting nature and building a healthy future.
  • What kinds of lakes there are and what they do for the environment.
  • What problems marshes face and what is being done to protect them.
  • What marshes do to help fight climate change and help people adapt to it.
  • Wetland sites that meet the conditions to be named Ramsar Sites and the Ramsar Convention.