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India Adds Sukhna Wetland and Sauj Jheel as Ramsar Sites
India adds Sukhna Wetland and Sauj Jheel to the List of Wetlands of International Importance. India’s total number of Ramsar Sites now stands at 103.
Sukhna Wetland and Sauj Jheel:
| Dimension | Key Details |
|---|---|
| Sukhna Wetland (Location and setting) | Sukhna Wetland comprises a peri-urban reservoir at the edge of Chandigarh and at the base of the Outer Himalayas. |
| Sukhna Wetland (Hydrological role) | Sukhna Wetland regulates sediment and water flows from the surrounding catchment. |
| Sukhna Wetland (Habitats and birds) | Sukhna Wetland supports habitats ranging from open water to littoral vegetation, scrub, and forest, and provides feeding, breeding, roosting, and wintering habitats for resident waterbirds and migrants along the Central Asian Flyway. |
| Sukhna Wetland (Notable fauna) | Notable species comprise the vulnerable common pochard (Aythya ferina), the endangered Pallas’s fish eagle (Haliaeetus leucoryphus), and the endangered black pond turtle (Geoclemys hamiltonii). |
| Sauj Jheel (Location and setting) | Sauj Jheel comprises a shallow lake in Uttar Pradesh, surrounded by farmland in the floodplain of the Ganga River. |
| Sauj Jheel (Landscape connectivity) | Sauj Jheel forms part of a larger network of wetlands, provides ecological connectivity in the wider landscape, and lies close to Saman Bird Sanctuary. |
| Sauj Jheel (Vegetation) | Sauj Jheel supports wetland-associated vegetation comprising the sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) and wild sugarcane (Saccharum spontaneum). |
| Sauj Jheel (Notable fauna) | Notable waterbird species comprise the vulnerable sarus crane (Grus antigone) and the greater spotted eagle (Clanga clanga). |