“Wetlands are areas of marsh, fen, peatland  or water , whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing , fresh, brackish or salty, including areas of marine water , the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters. Wetlands may be either  natural or manmade”. 
 

 
Wetlands are found on every continent except Antarctica and in climates ranging from the tropics to the tundra. They occupy about 6 percent of the land surface of the world, or approximately 890 million hectares (approximately 2.2 billion acres). The United States contains about 111 million hectares (about 274 million acres) or approximately 12 percent of the world's wetlands  India has 40,49,373 ha area under wetlands, out of which 23,376 ha lie in Punjab. The state a has 12 natural and 9 manmade wetlands (covering more than 15,500 hq area) .  The state  has 3 wetlands of international importance (Ramsar sites). At the point of confluence of Satluj and Beas lies the internationally renowned Harike wetland in 28.5 sq km area (formed due to construction of Harike barrage in 1952) famous for its migratory birds. The Kanjli wetland at Kapurthala (created due to barraging of Kali Bein rivulet which deviates from Budha Barkat regulator near Muradpur village - this wetland is spaced over 100 ha area) and the Ropar wetland (also found in 1952 due to construction of barrage on river Satluj and spread over 1365 ha area) at Ropar.
   
Manmade wetlands and lakes of Punjab :-
 

Ø    Regulate the hydrological cycle

Ø      Maintain water quality

Ø      Provide refuge to large number of endangered plants and animals

Ø     Support diverse food chains &  food webs and provide ground for migratory waterfowl

Ø      Help in Trapping energy and carbon dioxide

Wetlands provide habitat for a wide variety of plants, invertebrates, fish, and larger animals, including many rare, threatened, or endangered species. The plants and animals found in wetlands include both those that are able to live on dry land or in the water and those that can live only in a wet environment. 
 

The wetlands of Punjab supports the following flora and fauna:-

The important:-

Ø      Endangered Species:- Indian Skimmer, Yellow eyed Pigeon, Sykes`s Knightjar, Rufous-vented Prinia, Scaup Duck, Falcated Teal,Testudine turtle,Smooth, Indian Otter.

Ø      Mammals:- Smooth Indian Otter, Hog deer, Wild boar, Flying fox, Wildcat, Squirrel, Fruitbat, Common Mongoose

Ø      Birds:- Great crested Grebe, white necked Stork ,Adjutant Stork, Glossy  Ibis, Pintail, Gadwall, Eastern Purple Heron, Brahminy, Mallard, Wigeon, SpotBill Duck, Coot, Tailor Bird, Peafowl ,Ruddy Sheduck

Ø      Reptiles & Amphibians:- 7 species of turtle & 4 Species of snakes, Frogs, Tortise, Toads

Ø      Fishes:- 16 taxa,the important being Labeo, Catla, Puntius, Cirrhina, Channa , Mystus,Notopterus, Cyperinus, Ambasis ranga

Ø      Invertebrates:- Molluscs (39 & 4 taxa), Insects (6 & 32 taxa), Crustaceans (27 taxa), Annelids (7 taxa), Nematodes (7 & 4 taxa), Rotifers (59 & 13 taxa), Protozoans (5 & 21 taxa), Crustaceans (9 taxa).

Ø      Plants: Many terrestrial & aquatic plants, main are: Dalbergia, Prosopis, Albizzia, Ficus, Azolla, Hydrilla, Nelumbo, Typha, Phragmites, Zizyphus Mauritiana, Syzgium cumini, Uticularia sp, Ipomoea aquatica, Cyprus sp, Shrubs, grasses, etc.
 

Threats to  Wetlands of Punjab:- The coverage of wetlands in the ambit of environment is something different. It is not a water feature, but a place of environment. Thewetland falling under man made & natural fresh water riverine system, is a multifaceted habitat for a wide variety of organisms. Keeping in view the present landuse, waterspread, turbidity and aquatic vegetation, the threats to Punjab`s wetland have been numerous . The wetlands although recognized as an area of international importance for waterfowl conservation, faces many serious problems that include habitat degradation also. These are:-
 

• Weed infestation: Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is the main weed which has invading wetlands. The area under the plant doubles every 6.2-15.0 days depending on the nutrient status of water.
• Siltation: The silitation is another major threat to wetlands of Punjab. In Harike lake silt had started depositing near the barrage in the beginning of 1985. Siltation has reduced the erstwhile lake to a shallow wetland now. Major amount of silt is deposited in the monsoon season when heavy rains wash down the soil from hill slopes and fields in the catchment area of the two rivers.
•  WaterPollution: The pollution is the result of the nutrient input from sewage and effluents and wash down from agricultural fields of fertilizers, sand,pesticides into the wetlands.
• Water fluctuation: The depth of wetlands is only a few meters when full. The depth reduces further in the lean periods when the inflow of water is less during summer. In fact, the irrigation is most desired at this stage, so more water has to be released into the canals from the wetlands leaving with little water rendering portions of the wetlands bare at the bottom.
• Fishing and Poaching:Illegal fishing and poaching are the other threats to the  wetlands. These threats have resulted not only in shrinking of lake area but also deteriorated the natural environment for the survival of birds. These unfavorable conditions have forced the migratory birds to drift away from wetlands which were once considered to be a safe dwelling places of them.
• Miscellaneous: Illegal encroachments, population pressure ,   over grazing are the other factors, which are slowly but sure affecting the ecology of the wetlands in Punjab. 

Conservation and Management

The Govt. of Punjab, declared Harike wetland as bird sanctuary in 1982. A number of conservation measures have been suggested to conserve Harike wetland after the declaration of Harike as Ramsar site on 23-3-90. The Ropar and kanji wetlands are also declared the Ramsar site on 22-1-02. The Conservation measure at these wetlands are in progess as per perspective plan. These measures taken by Punjab Government includes :

Ø      Control of water hyacinth and use of recommended weevils

Ø      Opening of sluice gates during monsoon

Ø      Monitoring of water quality migration period

Ø      Fencing some of the selected portions from encroachment

Ø      Afforestation of the catchment area

Ø      Survey, mapping & notification

Ø      Soil Conservation

Ø      Education and Public awareness 
 

This year's world wetlands day (February 2nd) was celebrated with a slogan "No-wetlands- No Water" which in fact is also supported by the declaration of the year 2003 as the "International Year of Freshwater." It is well known fact that 97% of the world's water is in the form of oceans and only 3% is fresh water. Recent studies predict that by 2025, humans will be using two thirds of available freshwater - as opposed to one half today. This figure highlights the urgent need to sustain the health of wetlands, which are the source of most of the world's freshwater.