DEEPOR BEEL - ENVIRONMENT
News:
Bird species count up in Deepor Beel, Assam’s lone Ramsar site
What's in the news?
● Assam’s only Ramsar site
troubled by developmental projects and urban waste has 30 more waterfowl
species than the total counted in 2022.
● Altogether
26,747 birds belonging to 96 species were recorded during a bird count at the
Deepor Beel wetland on the southwestern edge of Guwahati.
Deepor Beel:
● Deepor
Beel is a perennial freshwater lake
located 10 km southwest of Guwahati city, Assam.
● The
Kalmani and Basistha rivers along
with local monsoon runoff are the main water sources for Deepor Beel.
Flora and fauna:
● Asian elephants,
leopards, jungle cats, barking deer, Chinese porcupines and sambar are some of
the fauna found in the beel.
● Flora
of the beel mainly consists of aquatic species such as water Lily and water
hyacinth.
Significance:
● The
wetland sustains over 200 species of birds.
● It
has been selected as one of the Important
Bird Area (IBA) sites by Birdlife International.
● The
lake wetland is the source of livelihood for fishing communities.
● It
acts as a natural storm-water reservoir basin for Guwahati.
Threats:
● Contamination
caused due to garbage dumps from nearby Guwahati city.
● Unplanned
urbanization and encroachment are reducing the wetland area.
● Feeder
river channels are vanishing, resulting in siltation.
● Invasive
plant species have affected the survivability of local species.
Ramsar Site:
● Ramsar
Site is a designation for wetlands of
international importance that qualify under the criteria of the Ramsar
Convention on Wetlands.
● Ramsar
convention is the inter-governmental
treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of
wetlands and their resources.
● Ramsar
convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971.
Three Pillars of Ramsar Convention:
● The
wise use of all wetlands.
● The
designation and management of Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar
sites).
● International
cooperation – including on shared wetlands, river basins, and populations of
migratory waterbirds.