Urban wetlands

GS 3 ENVIRONMENT Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Introduction 

        Wetlands serve a function by developing greater biodiversity and natural and pleasant recreation areas for city dwellers.         
Urban wetlands should be designed in such a way that they allow for the possibility that the water running into them from the urban surroundings is more polluted than in a natural environment.

Contemporary Issue:

• WWF Risk Filter analysis
  • 100 cities globally will be facing ‘severe water scarcity’ by 2050.
  • These cities are home to around 350 million people. 
  • Climate change and rising population
    • the total population of these cities could increase from 17% in 2020 to 51% by 2050
    • have been cited as underlying factors.
  • countries need to make the spread of urbanisation more even apart from undertaking urgent climate action.
  • Two Indian cities Jaipur (45) and Indore (75) feature in the list. 
  • Apart from these two, 28 other Indian cities are likely to face ‘increasing water risks in the next few decades’, 
    • including Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Delhi and Vishakapatnam.

Importance :

• provides important ecological services 
  • that contribute to watershed functions
  • most notably in pollutant removal
  • flood attenuation
  • groundwater recharge and discharge
  • shoreline protection
  • wildlife habitat.
• The benefit generally increases as total wetland cover increases in a watershed.
• are highly productive ecosystems that provide the world with nearly two-thirds of its fish harvest.
• play an integral role in the ecology of the watershed. 
  • The combination of shallow water, high levels of nutrients is ideal for the development of organisms
  • that form the base of the food web and feed many 
    • species of fish
    • amphibians
    • shellfish
    • insects.
• Wetlands’ microbes, plants and wildlife are part of global cycles for water, nitrogen and sulphur.
• helps in the elimination of phosphates, nitrates, solid substances and heavy metals.
• Wetlands store carbon within their plant communities and soil 
  • instead of releasing it to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
• Wetlands function as natural barriers that trap and slowly release 
  • surface water
  • rain
  • snowmelt
  • groundwater 
  • flood waters.
• Wetland vegetation also 
  • slow the speed of flood waters 
  • lowering flood heights 
  • reduces soil erosion.
• Wetlands are critical to human and planet life. 
  • More than one billion people depend on them for a living.
  • 40% of the world’s species live and breed in wetlands.
• Numerous researchers have quantified the economic benefits provided by wetlands in a watershed.
  • When wetlands are lost or degraded by land development
    • these services must often be replaced by costly water treatment and flood control infrastructure.
  • wetland conservation and restoration should be an integral part of a comprehensive local watershed management strategy.

Current Scenario:

• These lake ecosystems are presently endangered due to anthropogenic disturbances caused by Urbanisation 
• as they have been heavily degraded due to pollution from 
  • disposal of untreated local sewage 
  • due to encroachment
• resulting in shrunken lakes.

Still needs more attention:

• Even after 26 years of pollution abatement works
  • only 10% of waste water generated in the country is treated.
  • The rest collects as cess pools or is discharged into the 14 major, 55 minor and several hundred other rivers.
• It is quite clear that the overall status of quality of water in rivers, lakes and its links to groundwater has not been adequately addressed.
  • Out of the 43 Indian guidelines passed by the central and state government
    • 41% of those talk about conservation and restoration of waterbodies 
    • but only 10% exactly describe the conservative measure.
    • Only 22% of the guidelines are on subjects related to policies to be adopted by state government, urban local bodies etc.
• This clearly identifies the missing links and marks the future prospects that India should adopt for the preparation of better and sustainable lake management plans.

Way Forward 

• Developing urban wetlands and watershed 
  • are crucial to containing the crisis. 
  • The Smart Cities initiative’s framework for water management also must be implemented.
• To counter unplanned urbanization and a growing population, management of wetlands 
  • has to be an integrated approach in terms of planning, execution and monitoring.
• Effective collaborations among 
  • academicians 
  • professionals
  • including ecologists
  • watershed management specialists
  • planners and decision makers 
    • for overall management of wetlands.
• Spreading awareness 
  • by initiating awareness programs 
    • about the importance of wetlands and constant monitoring of wetlands for their water quality 
    • would provide vital inputs to safeguard the wetlands from further deterioration.
• In order to operationalise water management for a water-secure future
  • public funding for sustainable economic growth is the need of the hour.
• From cutting greenhouse gas emissions to reclaiming waste ware, cities must have a multi-pronged response.

Conclusion

      Beyond that, the country needs to implement rainwater harvesting, micro-irrigation, etc, while transitioning away from water-guzzling crops and pricing water correctly to discourage wastage.        
Without a holistic outlook on water, the country suffer – research shows a clear link between water-stress and conflict.