In flood gloom, hope for Punjab’s wetlands

The recent floods in Punjab also hit the six wetlands that carry the international Ramsar tag. Encouragingly, experts are hopeful that the catastrophic occurrence will prove to be a boon for wetlands and the flora and fauna surrounding it.

Wetlands are vital ecosystems that provide water purification, safety during floods and storms, and store carbon. They also offer opportunities for recreation, are a source of natural products, and help recharge groundwater, something Punjab badly needs.

Punjab has 1,381 mapped wetlands. Besides, there are 5,049 small wetlands. The total wetland area is 86,283 ha — 1.71 per cent of the state. In 2020, three more wetlands in the state got the international Ramsar tag.

Major wetlands

Harike Wildlife Sanctuary is a confluence of the Beas and Sutlej rivers and is the largest wetland in northern India. Created by the construction of a barrage in 1953, the wetland spans 4,100 hectares.

The Nangal Wildlife Sanctuary, located downstream of the Bhakra Dam on the Sutlej river, is an artificial wetland created as part of a reservoir system. It covers 116 hectares and is an important habitat for a variety of resident and migratory birds.

Ropar Wetland is a man-made freshwater wetland created by the construction of a barrage on the Sutlej, extending over 1,365 hectares.

The Kanjli Wetland was formed by the construction of a small barrage across the Kali Bein, a tributary of the Beas, and covers 183 hectares.

The Beas River Conservation Reserve stretches across 185 km of the Beas and is home to the endangered Indus river dolphin, smooth-coated otters, gharials (reintroduced in 2017) and over 90 fish species.

The Keshopur-Miani Community Reserve in Gurdaspur is spread over 343 hectares and is India’s first community reserve designated as a Ramsar site. It represents a mosaic of marshes, farm wetlands, and village ponds, managed by local communities and the Forest Department.

Impact of flooding

Wetlands such as Nangal, Ropar, Harike and the Beas River Conservation Reserve, located along the major river systems, experienced excessive flooding during the recent monsoon season. There was a minor erosion of the wetland banks but the riparian vegetation stabilised these. Wetlands such as Keshopur-Miani are primarily recharged by direct precipitation and surface runoff.

“Floodwaters around the wetlands contribute to groundwater recharge, as aquifers hydrologically connected to the wetlands receive substantial inflows during peak rainfall events,” says Punjab Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Satender Sagar.

No major displacement of aquatic fauna was recorded, indicating the resilience of gharials and freshwater dolphin populations to natural flood pulses. Flooding also facilitated the mass dispersal of invasive aquatic weeds, particularly water hyacinth, which got accumulated in wetlands such as Kanjli and Harike.

“Also, these wetlands were subjected to high silt deposition, which also has the potential to enrich soils with organic matter. The influx of sediments and nutrients with the floodwaters is expected to replenish wetland soils, improve fertility, and enhance overall primary productivity and may attract more migratory birds,” says Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and head of the Forest Force Dharminder Sharma.

“It seems the aquatic wildlife adjusted well to the rising water level as animals are smart. There was not much effect on the wildlife and the green cover,” he adds.

Keeping a close watch

The Beas Reserve and Harike sanctuary have hydrologically dynamic systems, which means the formation of new microhabitats, secondary channels, and backwater pools — ecologically significant for maintaining biodiversity. Experts also suggest putting in more efforts to ensure there is “no man-wildlife conflict zone” near the wetlands.

“Large-scale agricultural development has made Punjab a leading food-producing state, but at the cost of taking over ecologically sensitive areas, mainly the floodplains. Many countries take drastic steps to save and develop wetlands. Though Punjab cannot create more wetlands, it should ensure that the existing ones are saved,” says Jaskaran Sandhu, former member of the Punjab State Board for Wildlife.