Jaltarang 2014, 7th consecutive Consecutive World Wetlands Celebration by TERI WRC

TERI WRC successfully organized the 7th edition of its annual event 'Jaltarang' on February 2, 2014 to commemorate World Wetlands Day (WWD). Since 2007, under its umbrella initiative WeMaP (Wetland Management Program), the centre has been engaging various stakeholders to undertake concrete action oriented programmes for wetland conservation.

This year, the center organized an 'Informative trail' for more than 75 professionals and their families, from the partner institutions, to highlight different urban wetland ecosystems of Navi Mumbai. The participants were further divided into two groups, Bhigwan and Lonar, named after the two wetlands which were recommended by the state government to be recognized as Ramsar sites.

The informative wetland trail covered the sites belonging to various categories namely mangrove, marshlands, holding pond, constructed wetlands, natural lakes, and lakes with historical significance. The teams were briefed about the functional importance of the riparian zone, holding ponds and the mangrove ecosystem. Around 34 species of birds, including Purple Moorhen (Porphyrio porphyrio), White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) and Bronze-winged Jacana (Metopidius indicus) which are uncommon species for the region were sighted during the trails. Also, the participants collected water samples from these wetlands to analyze the water quality of the wetlands.

All the participants were amazed to learn about the functional diversity and resource potential of various wetlands. Since many of the participants were citizens of Navi Mumbai, witnessing the impacts of urbanization and industrialization on local wetlands triggered their thought process about wetland conservation.

The event was graced by Shri Y B Sontakke, Regional Officer, Navi Mumbai, MPCB, as the Chief Guest. Also, senior level officials from the participating companies-Mr Shripad J Lele, Associate Vice President, Deepak Fertilizers & Petrochemicals Corporation Ltd, and Mr Bighna N Nayak, Managing Director, Fugro Survey (India) Pvt. Ltd, took active participation in the informative trail.

Event partners:

• Deepak Fertilizers & Petrochemicals Corporation Ltd
• Fugro Survey (India) Pvt. Ltd
• Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), Government of Maharashtra
• Ramsar Convention, Switzerland