Indore's Sirpur lake gets Ramsar certification; declared as wetland of International importance

The efforts of civic bodies and government agencies towards the conservation of the environment have blossomed with impressive results for Madhya Pradesh. Indore civic body has been consistently taking measures to conserve the environment. From setting up solar plants at various govt buildings to developing green zones, IMC has been successful in setting up examples for the nation to learn from.

This time, Indore’s Sirpur lake has successfully received the tag of "Wetland of National Importance" under Ramsar Wetland conservation convention.

This is the second site in Madhya Pradesh that has been listed under the Ramsar Wetland Conservation within the past 10 days. Last month, Shivpuri’s Sakhya Sagar lake received the same tag.

Now with, Sirpur lake on the list, Madhya Pradesh is home to a total of three wetlands. Madhya Pradesh bagged the title of their first Ramsar site two decades ago, when Bhopal’s upper lake was declared as a wetland of international importance.

In addition to Indore's Sirpur lake, 9 more Indian wetland sites were declared as Ramsar sites of national importance. With this, the tally of wetlands listed under the Ramsar convention in India has rocketed up to 64. Globally, India and China take the top spots for housing the highest number of wetlands.

As per a statement released by the Union Ministry, the designation of these sites would help in the conservation, and management of wetlands fostering wise use of their resources.

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance is an international treaty for the conservation of wetlands sites. It is named after Iran’s Ramsar city where the convention was signed in 1971.

The Ramsar list aims at "developing and maintaining an international network of wetlands, which are important for the conservation of global biological diversity and for sustaining human life, through the maintenance of their ecosystem components, processes and benefits".

Notably, 9 other sites that have been included in the list of Ramsar convention are Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary, Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve, Vembannur Wetland Complex, Vellore Bird Sanctuary, Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary and Udhayamarthandapuram Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu; Satkosia Gorge in Odisha; Nanda Lake in Goa and Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary in Karnataka.