431
Summary
1. Wetlands are signifi cant potential waterbodies in India. These waterbodies harbour wide
array of aquatic organisms.
2. However, wetlands are severely under human
intervention for various purposes like farm
expansion, water drainage and urbanisation,
to name a few. Today, they are generally
over-exploited and left uncared for. As such,
many of them have been undergoing fast
dereliction.
3. According to estimates of MOEF, GOI, India
has 67,429 wetlands covering an area of
about 4.1 million ha. Out of these, c 2,175
(1.5 million ha) are natural and 65,254, (2.6
million ha) are man-made. Mangroves
occupy an area of approx. 0.45 million ha.
4. Natural wetlands in India consist of the highaltitude Himalayan lakes; wetlands in the
fl oodplains of the major river systems; saline
and temporary wetlands of the arid and semiarid regions; coastal wetlands such as
lagoons, backwaters and estuaries, mangrove
swamps, coral reefs and marine wetlands;
and so on. The man-made wetlands have
been made mainly for irrigation, water supply, electricity, fi sheries, etc. Freshwater
wetlands are said to support c 20 % of the
known biodiversity in India.
5. Further, a detailed classifi cation of wetlands
shows the following types:
(i) glacial wetlands , (ii) tectonic wetlands , (iii) oxbow wetlands , (iv) lagoons , (v)
crater wetlands , (vi) saltwater wetlands ,
(vii) urban wetlands , (viii) ponds/tanks and
man-made wetlands , (ix) reservoirs , (x)
mangroves , (xi) coral reefs , (xii) creeks , etc.
6. Most of the inland wetlands are directly or
indirectly dependent on the major rivers like
Ganga, Brahmaputra, Barak, Narmada,
Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri and Tapti.
7. The NE region is blessed with a number of
lentic systems, locally called ‘Beel, Haor,
Anua, Hola, Doloni, Jalah, etc., which alone
constitute c 81 % of the total lentic area
(0.12 × 10
6 ha) in Assam. The perennial wetlands are called ‘Beel’, (a) seasonal fl oodplain wetlands are called ‘Haor’ and (b)
river-formed oxbow wetlands are called
‘Anua’.
8. Some of the salient limnological characteristics of the Beels, in general, are as follows:
temperature 9.2–39 °C, water level 0.25–
9.0 m and pH 6–7.8; presence of planktonic
forms like Microcystis, Anabaena, Spirogyra,
Volvox,
Ankistrodesmus,
Closterium,
Chlorella, Euglena, Ceratium, Cosmarium,
Pinnularia, Navicula, Gyrosigma, Diatoma,
Brachionus, Keratella, Trichocerca, Filinia,
Lecane,
Daphnia,
Ceriodaphnia,
Simocephalus,
Scapholeberis,
Moina,
Bosmina, Bosminopsis, Chydorus, Alona,
Pleuroxus, Camptocercus, Dadaya, Cyclops
and Diaptomus ; presence of AM like
Hydrilla, Vallisneria, Nechamandra, Lemna,
Pistia, Eichhornia, Trapa, Nymphaea,
Nymphoides, Nelumbo, Justicia, Salvinia,
Eleocharis, Echinochloa, Scirpus, Cyperus
and Euryale ; and occurrence of the fi shes
like Puntius, Amblypharyngodon, Botia,
Lepidocephalichthys, Mystus, Channa,
Xenentodon, Chanda, Parambassis, Anabas
and Trichogaster .
9. Sone Beel is the biggest wetland in Assam
having a water spread area of 3,458.12 ha at
FSL. This Beel has been declared as a wetland of national importance by the Ministry
of Environment and Forests, Government of
India.
10. Chatla Haor is one of the biggest Haors ( c
1,600 ha at FSL) in Assam. Today, it is a victim of siltation and eutrophication.
11. Amongst the many Anuas, the Satkarakandi
Anua is signifi cant. The Anua has average
water temperature 26 °C, turbidity 25.5.
NTU, pH 5.7, DO 4.95 mg/l, FCO 2 45.0 mg/l,
TA 101 mg/l, conductivity 49 μmhos/cm.,
PO 4 0.406 mg/l and NO 3 0.32 mg/l. This
wetland is a victim of acute eutrophication
being infested by luxuriant population of
Eichhornia crassipes. The wetland contains
Nostoc, Oscillatoria, Anabaena, Microcystis,
Ankistrodesmus, Chlorella, Closterium,
Euglena, Ceratium, Cosmarium, Pinnularia,
Navicula, etc., and Arcella sp., Brachionus
sp., Lecane sp., Keratella sp., Filinia sp.,
20.3 Wetlands of Other Regions in India
Summary
1. Wetlands are signifi cant potential waterbodies in India. These waterbodies harbour wide
array of aquatic organisms.
2. However, wetlands are severely under human
intervention for various purposes like farm
expansion, water drainage and urbanisation,
to name a few. Today, they are generally
over-exploited and left uncared for. As such,
many of them have been undergoing fast
dereliction.
3. According to estimates of MOEF, GOI, India
has 67,429 wetlands covering an area of
about 4.1 million ha. Out of these, c 2,175
(1.5 million ha) are natural and 65,254, (2.6
million ha) are man-made. Mangroves
occupy an area of approx. 0.45 million ha.
4. Natural wetlands in India consist of the highaltitude Himalayan lakes; wetlands in the
fl oodplains of the major river systems; saline
and temporary wetlands of the arid and semiarid regions; coastal wetlands such as
lagoons, backwaters and estuaries, mangrove
swamps, coral reefs and marine wetlands;
and so on. The man-made wetlands have
been made mainly for irrigation, water supply, electricity, fi sheries, etc. Freshwater
wetlands are said to support c 20 % of the
known biodiversity in India.
5. Further, a detailed classifi cation of wetlands
shows the following types:
(i) glacial wetlands , (ii) tectonic wetlands , (iii) oxbow wetlands , (iv) lagoons , (v)
crater wetlands , (vi) saltwater wetlands ,
(vii) urban wetlands , (viii) ponds/tanks and
man-made wetlands , (ix) reservoirs , (x)
mangroves , (xi) coral reefs , (xii) creeks , etc.
6. Most of the inland wetlands are directly or
indirectly dependent on the major rivers like
Ganga, Brahmaputra, Barak, Narmada,
Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri and Tapti.
7. The NE region is blessed with a number of
lentic systems, locally called ‘Beel, Haor,
Anua, Hola, Doloni, Jalah, etc., which alone
constitute c 81 % of the total lentic area
(0.12 × 10
6 ha) in Assam. The perennial wetlands are called ‘Beel’, (a) seasonal fl oodplain wetlands are called ‘Haor’ and (b)
river-formed oxbow wetlands are called
‘Anua’.
8. Some of the salient limnological characteristics of the Beels, in general, are as follows:
temperature 9.2–39 °C, water level 0.25–
9.0 m and pH 6–7.8; presence of planktonic
forms like Microcystis, Anabaena, Spirogyra,
Volvox,
Ankistrodesmus,
Closterium,
Chlorella, Euglena, Ceratium, Cosmarium,
Pinnularia, Navicula, Gyrosigma, Diatoma,
Brachionus, Keratella, Trichocerca, Filinia,
Lecane,
Daphnia,
Ceriodaphnia,
Simocephalus,
Scapholeberis,
Moina,
Bosmina, Bosminopsis, Chydorus, Alona,
Pleuroxus, Camptocercus, Dadaya, Cyclops
and Diaptomus ; presence of AM like
Hydrilla, Vallisneria, Nechamandra, Lemna,
Pistia, Eichhornia, Trapa, Nymphaea,
Nymphoides, Nelumbo, Justicia, Salvinia,
Eleocharis, Echinochloa, Scirpus, Cyperus
and Euryale ; and occurrence of the fi shes
like Puntius, Amblypharyngodon, Botia,
Lepidocephalichthys, Mystus, Channa,
Xenentodon, Chanda, Parambassis, Anabas
and Trichogaster .
9. Sone Beel is the biggest wetland in Assam
having a water spread area of 3,458.12 ha at
FSL. This Beel has been declared as a wetland of national importance by the Ministry
of Environment and Forests, Government of
India.
10. Chatla Haor is one of the biggest Haors ( c
1,600 ha at FSL) in Assam. Today, it is a victim of siltation and eutrophication.
11. Amongst the many Anuas, the Satkarakandi
Anua is signifi cant. The Anua has average
water temperature 26 °C, turbidity 25.5.
NTU, pH 5.7, DO 4.95 mg/l, FCO 2 45.0 mg/l,
TA 101 mg/l, conductivity 49 μmhos/cm.,
PO 4 0.406 mg/l and NO 3 0.32 mg/l. This
wetland is a victim of acute eutrophication
being infested by luxuriant population of
Eichhornia crassipes. The wetland contains
Nostoc, Oscillatoria, Anabaena, Microcystis,
Ankistrodesmus, Chlorella, Closterium,
Euglena, Ceratium, Cosmarium, Pinnularia,
Navicula, etc., and Arcella sp., Brachionus
sp., Lecane sp., Keratella sp., Filinia sp.,
20.3 Wetlands of Other Regions in India