A darter (snake-bird) in Keoladeo Ghana National ParkShutterstock

Visit These 7 Pristine Wetlands In India Before They Disappear

According to the Ramsar List, India has 75 wetland sites. While all of them are pristine and inviting, here is a photo feature of the longest standing ones

Updated on:

01 Feb 2024, 10:00 am

3 min read

World Wetlands Day marks the date of adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2,1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea.

This World Wetlands Day, we bring you 7 of the most beautiful and the longest declared wetlands of India in photos, that you should visit before they are lost.

What is a Wetland?

According to The Ramsar Convention, "wetlands are areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres." Fish ponds, rice paddies, de-pollution and stabilisation ponds, and salt-pans are human-made wetlands.

World Wetlands Day 2024

The theme for World Wetlands Day changes every year and is selected to focus attention on a particular aspect of wetland conservation and management. This year the theme is "Wetlands and Human Wellbeing". Ramsar list identifies 75 sites in India as wetlands, with 19 of them being added in 2022. They cover a total of 1,326,677 hectares in the country.

Chilika Lake, Odisha

Chilika Lake is great for birding, through all seasonsFlickr

Area: 116,500 hectares

Designated In: 1981, 42 years old site

Chilika for a winter rendezvous is an excellent destinationFlickr

Chandertal, Himachal Pradesh

Trek up to Chandertal for a pristine clear water lakedepositphotos.com

Area: 49 hectares

Designated In: 2005; 18 year old site

Chandertal offers a serene sanctuary for peace seekers amidst incredible reflectionsshutterstock

Harike Lake, Punjab

Also known as "Hari-ke-Pattan", with the Harike Lake in the deeper part of it, is the largest wetland in northern India in the border of Tarn Taran Sahib district and Ferozepur district of Punjab in IndiaWikimedia Commons

Area: 4100 hectares

Designated In: 1990; 33 year old site

Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Rajasthan

Migratory birds make this park incredibly appealing to birdwatchersWikimedia Commons

Area: 2873 hectares

Designated In: 1981; 42 years old site

A white-throated Kingfisher at Keoladeo National ParkFlickr

Kolleru Lake, Andhra Pradesh

Kolleru lake forms the largest shallow freshwater lake in AsiaWikimedia Commons

Area: 90,100 hectares

Designated In: 2002; 21 years old site

Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, Gujarat

Go birding for a wide variety of avians visiting Nalsarivar in winter monthsShutterstock

Area: 12,000 hectares

Designated In: 2012; 11 years old site

Though wetlands cover only around 6 per cent of the Earth's land surface, 40 per cent of all plant and animal species live or breed in wetlands. According to UNEP, wetlands are disappearing three times faster than forests due to human activities and global heating.