Wetland city Accreditation

• Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change has submitted three nominations from India for Wetland City Accreditation (WCA) under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
• Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) & Udaipur (Rajasthan) are the first three Indian cities for which nominations have been submitted for WCA based on the proposals received from respective State Wetlands Authorities in collaboration with the Municipal Corporations.

ABOUT THE CITIES

• Indore– Founded by Holkars, Indore is the cleanest city in India and the recipient of India’s Smart City Award 2023 for its best sanitation, water and urban environment.
  • Sirpur Lake, a Ramsar Site in the city, has been recognised as an important site for water bird congregation and is being developed as a Bird Sanctuary.
  • A strong network of more than 200 wetland mitras is engaged in bird conservation and sensitising local community to protect Sarus Crane.
• Bhopal- One of the cleanest cities in India that has proposed conservation zones around the wetlands in its draft City Development Plan 2031.
  • Bhoj Wetland, Ramsar Site is the city’s lifeline, equipped with the world-class wetlands interpretation centre, Jal Tarang.
  • Additionally, the Bhopal Municipal Corporation has a dedicated Lake Conservation Cell. A network of more than 300 wetland mitras is engaged in wetland management and conservation of Sarus Crane.
• Udaipur- Located in Rajasthan, the city is surrounded by five major wetlands, namely, Pichola, Fateh Sagar, Rang Sagar, Swaroop Sagar, and Doodh Talai.
  • These wetlands are an integral part of the city’s culture and identity, help maintain the city’s microclimate, and provide a buffer from extreme events.

ABOUT WETLAND CITY ACCREDITATION (WCA)

• The Ramsar Convention during COP12 held in the year 2015 approved a voluntary Wetland City Accreditation system under Resolution XII.10 which recognizes cities which have taken exceptional steps to safeguard their urban wetlands.
• It also seeks to encourage cities that are close to and dependent on wetlands to develop and strengthen a positive relationship with these valuable ecosystems.
• To be formally accredited, a candidate for the Wetland City Accreditation should satisfy the standards used to implement each of the six international criteria mentioned Operational Guidance for WCA of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
• Since Ramsar COP13, 43 cities from 17 countries have been officially recognized as “Wetland Cities”.