Wetlands - A lifeline for a better environment

A majority of the Indian urban wetlands serve as the dumping places for the solid waste and sewage water. By definition, a wetland is an environment, “at the interface between truly terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems making them inherently different from each other yet highly dependent on both”. Development and prosperity of any city directly depend on the availability of water for various human consumptions.
Water bodies such as lakes and rivers not only provide us water, they replenish the ground water and support high diversity of life forms. In turn, the identities of the life forms in a water body indicate the quality of the ecosystem. Wetlands are one of the most biologically diverse systems in the world and can be compared to tropical rain forests and coral reefs in the diversity of species they support.
For many, these lands are ‘waste lands’ or lands with no purpose, while in reality they are one of the most precious forms of ecosystems we have. Wetlands contribute to biodiversity, clean water, flood control, and provide a habitat for millions of species of plants and animals. Wetlands are as productive as other farming lands but still face similar rates of devastation.
Most of the loss of wetlands worldwide is a direct consequence of the role that man has had in shaping the land through agriculture and urban development. As the wetland ecosystems get exploited, degraded and destroyed, many wetland species have become threatened and endangered because of their strong dependence on the system. Swampy grasslands and the flood plain wetlands of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra river valleys are the best examples. These areas are severely affected by conversion into agricultural land and widespread over-grazing.
Removal of sand, gravel and other material from the river beds and lakes have not only caused destruction to the wetlands but have led to sedimentation, affecting other areas. The introduction of exotic plants is another major threat on wetlands. The water hyacinth, an exotic plant, is now a major nuisance in most of the wetlands forming a vast floating shield over the surface of the water in the lakes and canals.
Through the ages, urban wetlands have been the lifeline of most cities in India. They were preserved and looked after by people as their main source of water supply for drinking and irrigation. By the advent of modern drinking water schemes, where drinking water comes from tap the citizens are unaware of their water source.
The modern urbanization altered the values dramatically and changed the sense of cleanliness and security. The commoditization of all resources including water by the new developmental paradigm added the complexity. In most of the urban ecosystems, the associated wetlands are the major life supporting component. They support high concentrations of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrate species. But these fragile , fast disintegrating and shrinking ecosystems,