Madhya Pradesh State PCS

• 10 Aug 2024

Government Denies Threat to Bhoj Wetland

Why in News?

Recently, The Union Government has denied that the Ramsar site, Bhoj Wetland in Bhopal faces threat of delisting from the Ramsar Convention list.

Key Points

• According to the sources, a proposed road through the Bhoj wetland catchment prompted a local activist to file a complaint against the wetland to the Ramsar Conventions secretariat.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) is implementing the National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA) for conservation and management of wetlands in the country, including Madhya Pradesh.
  • The scheme covers activities such as wastewater treatment, shoreline protection, in-situ cleaning, stormwater management, bioremediation, catchment area treatment, lake beautification, survey & demarcation, fisheries development, weed control, biodiversity conservation, education and awareness, and community participation.

Bhoj Wetland

• The Bhoj Wetland, also known as Bhopal Lake is a designated Ramsar site and hence, a wetland of international importance (Ramsar Convention 1971).
• It consists of two contiguous human-made reservoirs -
  • "Upper Lake" - created in the 11th century by construction of an earthen dam across the Kolans River.
  • “Lower Lake” - constructed 200 years ago, largely from leakage from the Upper lake. It is surrounded by the city of Bhopal.

National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA)

• NPCA is a single conservation programme for both wetlands and lakes.
• It is a centrally sponsored scheme, currently being implemented by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).
  • It was formulated in 2015 by merging of the National Lake Conservation Plan and the National Wetlands Conservation Programme.
• NPCA seeks to promote better synergy and avoid overlap of administrative functions.